Lovely ladybirds

Ladybird goodies

Over the past few weeks we have been on ladybird or ladybug watch. We found several trees covered in hundreds of these gruesome looking bugs - and when I told the children they would grow up to be ladybirds, they just didn't believe me! So we watched!

I'm going to grow up and be a ladybird???

The gruesome bugs became strange looking cocoons - they did look a bit like ladybirds.

ladybird cocoons

And then last week, by precise timing by me (actually complete luck) we watched a ladybird hatching out of it's cocoon and found a newly hatched one sitting in the sun! I didn't realise how lucky we were until I went back the next morning to take better photos on the camera (as opposed to my phone) and couldn't find any at that stage, let alone two different stages. So apologies for the fuzzy photo!
I've been busy making some ladybird goodies after watching these amazing creatures - so I now have ladybird key rings and badges, as well as ladybird mini bunting and bug mini bunting including ladybirds. I just love ladybirds and we are going to have lots this summer!

hatching ladybirds

Bags of fun

Hello again to Handmade Mondayers! It is half term this week, so I can join in with everyone.
My dear daughter has finally let me on the computer so I can blog, but I will have to be quick as there is a roast dinner to cook! Mind you, I showed her how to make origami gift bags earlier in the week and they are now taking over the house. I believe a tutorial on them will be appearing on her blog soon.

Baby Christmas Bunting kit

I have had fun creating a new kit for Christmas - Baby Christmas Bunting.
To to launch this new kit I am having a giveaway on Pickle-Lily of one the new kits. With it you can make two metres of felt and pom-pom bunting. Everything you need is in the kit, apart from scissors. I'm also including two gift bags with a surprise in them as well.

How to enter

Follow my blog and then leave a comment to say you have done this. If you are already a follower (thank you) please just leave me a comment.

For extra chances to win you can....

'Like' me on my Facebook page and leave a comment on my blog and on my facebook page to let me know you have done this.
If you already 'like' my FB page then please just leave a comment here to remind me!
If you would like to blog about my giveaway this will give you another entry. Again leave me another comment here on my blog.
I'd like to boost Pickle-Lily's own Facebook page, so for an extra entry, please 'like' her page and  leave another comment on here.
Please ensure that I am able to contact you. Pickle-Lily will pull all the names out of a hat next Monday 4th November.

Good luck!

The Great British Bake-Off is back!

In our house The Great British Bake-Off is must watch viewing, and on Tuesday evening the new series starts, filmed here in sometimes sunny and sometimes torrential Somerset.
Last Wednesday Pickle-Lily went to Millie Moon's in Frome to do a teenage skirt workshop, you can read all about it on her blog - In a Pickle. I had a lovely browse and came back with a bag of fabric, including some Riley Blake Bake Sale. So in honour of TGBBO I made some baking bunting for my kitchen, but I'm so pleased with it has pride of the place in the hall!

Bake sale bunting

As you can see, it matches the cute little one cup tea set I got from a charity shop a while back, and Pickle the penguin photo bombed my picture!
I've also been busy baking - lemon drizzle cake is cooling in the kitchen as I type and I also made a batch of coffee cup cakes as a holiday treat. I love coffee cake, but no-one else does .. or do they? I was very sneaky and gave one to Mr P-L and No1 son without telling them what it was, and guess what they both liked them!
So here is the recipe just for you...

To make 12 generous cup cakes, you need
175g plain flour
175g soft margarine
175g caster sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon coffee extract

To make
Mix all the ingredients together until light and fluffy.
Divide between 12 muffin cases and bake at 170 degrees (fan) for 15 minutes.
Allow to cool.
You can use this basic recipe for any flavour you like, just change the flavouring.

The icing I used for mine was coffee fudge - again very easy.
55g soft margarine
115g soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons of milk
half a teaspoon of coffee extract

Put all of these into a large saucepan and melt over a gentle heat, stirring. Then bring to the boil and boil for two minutes - keep stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in 400g of icing sugar. I know it seems a lot! Stir until smooth and thick. Then pipe over your cakes.
Yummy!
I'm going to join in with Handmade Monday this week - why don't you?

Spotty Box

Pass the spotty box around ...

As most of you know my 'day job' is a primary school teacher, and one of the 'tools of the job' is my spotty box. In fact, I am know as the spotty box teacher to most of the children I have taught. When I tried to work it out, the total number so far that is, that is a very large number!
To play 'spotty box', it is passed around a circle of sitting children, just like pass the parcel, the spotty box song is sung, and when you get the box it is your turn to open it and see what is inside. That can be anything - singing cards to choose a song for us to sing, a book, a letter, interesting objects, emotion cards - tell us when you feel happy, sad... or whatever has taken my imagination to inspire the children. It can go round again, or the mystery object inside can inspire the rest of the session.
So I thought I'd use my spotty box, hopefully, to inspire you.
Inside the spotty box this time, is ......


Who...will..get...it?

 half a metre of oil cloth
a triangle template
six metres of cotton tape

I used it to make outdoor bunting, and it took me less than an hour!


Draw out your triangles




Cut them out




Pin onto the tape at 5cm intervals

A few observations
Half a metre of oil cloth was the smallest amount I could buy, but it only took the equivalent of a fat quarter. I have some left to either make more or be creative with.
My triangle measured 16cm across the base and was 18cm tall.
Pin the tape to the printed side of the oil cloth, and sew with that side down. I meant to change my needle to a heavy duty one, but forgot, and my normal needle actually coped very well.
Lift the triangle gently up as you sew it, as it can 'stick' to your sewing machine.

Ta - dah!

Outside bunting

Perfect for the lovely weather we're having at the moment!
I'm planning to join in with Handmade Monday this week, why don't you join in too?

Bobbles and Bunting

Girly bunting

During half term Pickle-Lily and I went to  Millie Moon's in Frome to have a girls day out learning to make bunting with the fabulous Jane from Dufflebobble.

Listening carefully

We had a lovely day together and between us made some 'girly ' bunting for P to put up in her room and I made some Christmas bunting to decorate my home with. The biggest problem we had was choosing which fabrics to use, as we could choose anything we wanted! Needless to say we came home with a bag full of fat quarters of fabulous fabric to use! Jane was an excellent teacher, very patient and clear with her instructions, as well as useful tips and ideas.
The next day we both made some more bunting - some Halloween for me, and P made some Christmas bunting to sell with her cushions!

Our lovely bunting!

Of course while in Frome  we had to visit Marmalade Yarns and like all the ladies I saw in Millie Moon, came out with a colourful bag full of pom-pom yarn called Jester. It is a great novelty yarn that comes in some really zingy colours, I brought a festive red and used it to knit myself a fab tea-cosy. I thought I'd share the pattern with you if you would like it?

Jester yarn

This week is back to a more 'normal' routine for me, apart from all the housework I have waiting to do! But I am planning a Festive Friday for tomorrow - so watch this blog!

Red, White and Blue Baby Bunting

Just in time for next week-end and all the patriotic festivities to follow, a very quick and easy baby bunting project.

I used pale blue ric-rac and red, white and blue felt. The flag are triangles 7.5cm at the base with the point 7.5cm long. For about 2m of bunting I cut 27 triangles (9 red, 9 white and 9 blue) out of a rectangle of felt, or just use up your scraps.

You can use pinking shears for a zig-zag edge

 Then cut 27 squares, mine are 3cm.

Sew the button through the square to create your mini bunting flags in any pattern combination your like. My buttons came from Sew Sweet and Emma also sells the felt.

Sew the triangles onto the ric-rac, I tried spacing them apart, but they just didn't look right, so I put my triangles next to each other. You could use ribbon instead of ric-rac, but the ric-rac hooks over itself making it very easy to tie on and stay put!

I'm going to visit Wendy at Handmade Harbour and all the other wonderful bloggers for this week's Handmade Monday

Enjoy the sunshine!

Jo x

Lavender Pekoe and Coronation Chicken

Spring chicken and friends

Now that Pickle (brother of Pickle-Lily) has returned from touring the battlefields with the camera and spent all of today downloading hundreds of photos on Facebook, I have managed to regain use of the camera and computer. So, here are Spring Chicken's cousins Lavender Pekoe and Coronation Chicken.

Lavender Pekoe

Coronation Chicken



Inside Coronation

I've since thought of the Little Red Hen and speckled hen variations that could be made! Coronation's pattern was created by knitting two rows red then white then blue in garter stitch and using the reverse side as the outside.
I did two fairs this weekend and my baby blossom bunting was much admired.

Had to take this picture with that background painted on the wall behind!

I was asked quite a few times if I sold the bunting, and during the driving between fairs the cogs in my brain were whirring away and I decided my next kits would be baby felt bunting kits. Pickle-Lily is creating my prototype (I get her to test run my creations) so watch this space!
During the week I will be fighting the children for access to the computer to visit all the other brilliant blogs on Wendy's Handmade Monday.
Have a lovely week!
Jo x

Baby Blossom Bunting

Baby blossom bunting

Good morning - or it may be afternoon or evening when you read this - but isn't the sunshine glorious!
This week-end I am at a fair called Birdsong and Blossom and the organisers have been quite specific with their setting up instructions, including decorating your stall with birdsong and blossom. So I have made some mini bunting. It is very, very, very easy using up lots of the little bits of felt that I had kept for 'something'. If you would like to make some yourself - well I don't even think you need instructions, it's that simple.

A triangle of felt, with a felt flower cut using my Big Shot, button centre sewn on a long piece of ric rac.



There, instructions in one sentence! I would say that I originally left a gap between my flags, but they looked silly so I placed them next to each other and that the triangles are 7.5cm wide at the base and 7.5cm tall. I cut the paper pattern by eye to what looked like the right size, so I do apologise for the strange dimensions!

These could be made for any occasion.

I am really rather pleased with them and am looking forward to using them all the time.
In between enjoying the sunshine I shall reading the lovely blogs on Handmade Monday and Creative Me.
Have a lovely week
Jo x