Ballerina Bunny

A Ballerina Bunny I did as an example of how you could decorate a plain white muslin bunny, for our girls craft day, a few months ago. This Bunny girl I painted with watered down acrylic paints for the body colour,She is a pale beige colour with pink insides to her ears paw pads and a white mouth and nose. I painted on ballerina shoes and frilly panties with a pink acrylic I had added a pearl colouriser to,then sewed on and tied the ballerina slipper ribbons. Different coloured wired ribbons were gathered for her tutu and underskirt, and parts of an old sweater were machine sewn up to make her little ballerina shrug. Her tiara was wired pearls which were also sewed onto to her tutu and shrug. Hope you like her. :)

Earth Hour was all over the World

Last night we turned off our lights for one hour at 8:30 p.m., your local time, for Earth Hour.

From the Empire State Building in New York, to the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to your front porch, hundreds of millions of people are standing together in a collective display of commitment to protect our planet. Will you be among them?

It is not too late to join this global community. Follow these two simple steps to help make Earth Hour a success:

1. Pledge to participate.
http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=BIKb1633hmPmTSoJcESv1w
2. Spread the word through social media by sharing our Facebook photo

http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=H99x6AinOc6N8mpMNA0rwg

or inviting friends to join you with an e-card.
http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=U_FkaiAQecRSsjaLwQcf9Q

You can make this opportunity extend beyond the hour by committing to make ongoing changes that will reduce your impact on the planet: shop for sustainable products, take public transportation, or urge your city to join our Earth Hour City Challenge.
http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=BhCKQSmb5_kXfRs3qIL9Eg

The actions you can take are endless, and there are many things you can do every day to make a positive difference.

Together we can inspire the world to save the planet!

Knitting and Me

My mum had been a great knitter, the cries of my pony mad childhood come back to me, "Mum Please can you make me a yellow jumper with a horseshoe on to wear on Saturday to the Pony Club Rally, Pleease".. to which the answer came back, No, that she couldn't possible knit it in 2 or 3 days, (the unreasonable time scale that I had pleaded for). But on Friday Evening there it would be resplendant in all its glory,pressed a new jumper for me to wear, Bless her... In her later years she had to refuse to knit up dark colours, saying that she couldnt see the darker wools in the evening light. All of which in my youth and ignorance I probably thought totally unreasonable, all of which comes back to haunt me now... Mum was such good knitter, so neat and quick, that it was never an option for me to learn how to, with any great intention. I tried the basics, and called it quits, but I did crochet hippy bags and hats, made macrame bracelets and the dreaded plant holders, and the popular things of that era. Now 'we girls' decided that we would give knitting a try, as it so nicely coincided with the launch of a new knitting magazine that supplied you with patterns, 2 balls of wool and a pair of needles,..thus kitted out, we all sallied forth. Jane our Ace knitter was amazing, and very patient, I must add, as I was a total numbskull, when trying to teach me anything new knitting wise, I just flatlined. Karen got on well and stormed ahead, and thankfully still has a 'knitting' Mum around to ask for help, which must be great all round. Sarah did really well too, but is a perfectionist, so was racked with self doubt, and never pleased with her work, she and I, between the pair of us managed to do a lot of unpicking! Probably not all of which was strictly necessary either.

I knitted toy mouse to start with, as I found a pattern that had been donated to the 'Battersea Cats and Dogs Home', rescue and rehoming centre in London, which asked you to donate a toy if you used the pattern, so I have made a pink mouse which has a bell in it. (See Link Below) Then I got ambitious and thought I would try a pair of hand warmers, as they are basically a rib to start, then a Knit 1,Purl 1row for the main section, then Rib again to finish, then sew up. I made a pale Green pair for my friend Helen, which was supposed to be a thoughtful gift, but I'm not so sure, it being my first attempt! Helen then gave me some really lovely wool to try, it has alpacca in it, it is so soft and much easier to knit with, and I am getting on much better with this wool. Anyway I don't think I will ever knit anything large, but small toys, handwarmers and tiny things will probably be my limit.

Pattern for these Mice on Ravelry site.. Captain Cat-Battler was designed specially for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and their Cat Knit project. If you use this pattern, please donate to the Home, send a mouse to befriend lonely cats waiting for new owners, or even better, adopt a cat to go with your mouse. and see post below, where the above pic was borrowed from..
Blog post and pattern
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/30/how-to-make-catnip-mouse

There is also a  material sewing pattern for a kitten cushion, for the influx of homeless kittens.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/may/28/make-a-kitty-cushion-for-a-battersea-cat

Knit a blanket for a rescue dog
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/mar/13/knit-blanket-rescue-dog

They're asking you to give them a handmade hug while they wait for new owners. Knit them a cosy comfort blanket to snuggle up to in their Battersea kennel and they can take it with them when they find a new home.

Snow Falling...

The Snow arrived silently during the night of Thursday and into Friday morning. We all awoke to find the garden blanketed with that pristine white covering, making my garden seem as neat as the surrounding neighbours picture postcard offerings. Don't misunderstand me, I love the beauty of the snow, how it transforms ordinary objects and scenery into the most fairytale of backdrops, but it does have its drawbacks. I cannot use my motorbike, which means I have to walk everywhere, which equates to everything takes longer to accomplish, and I get colder. Its hard on the animals and wildlife too, and my accident rate seems to rocket, That all said, lots of children are out having fun, and I am back home now,chores all done, animals fed, and starting to thaw out nicely,and I was lucky enough to have Mark at home today to help . Off to make another cup of tea I think... Linda :)x

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Another Birthday

I think myself lucky to be celebrating another Birthday, some would say 'just another year older', I say a big 'Thank you', despite aLL the ongoing problems. As promised another post, which is a little tardy is due to BT's wonderful connections on the Island, costs are the same, but we get just a quarter of the service. Here are some pics of the felt ornaments I made on our girls crafting days, I hadn't attempted blanket stitch since junior school, but it came back to me after a while, and I found it really relaxing.

The two felted animals are shown too, as is one of today's birthday presents another charm for my little bracelet. The charms all pertain to my beloved pets past and present. The Flower for Poppy, my Labrador girl when I had her, the Horseshoe for Woozle my bay mare, passed on, and the newest charm the little frog on a lily pad with a crown for Prince my Labrador of present.
Linda ;)x

Drawing to the End of the Year 2012

Its been quite a year, its had ups and downs health and life wise, and although thats not an excuse, I do sincerely apologise to any blog followers I still may have retained through my absence, for the lack of posts and photographs. Although I never make New Years resolutions I do hope to remedy the above absence next year with a 'I promise to make at least a weekly posting' resolution.

This year saw the return of my dear Monty to his owner Malcolm, who is very pleased with how well he is going for him, I have visited a few times and Monty seemed as pleased as I by the reunion, and showered me with slobbery horse kisses, which I love. I must admit to a deep affection and bond that formed with him, it was quite a wrench to give him back and so sad for me too, epecially on leaving as he didnt want to enter the horsebox until I led him up.

In that autumn I received a new horse on loan, to work with, Jack. Who has come with a repretation as a bit of a reprobate in so many ways, I have had him with me just over 4 months now, and although progress is slow, I am begining to see some nicer character traits emerging slowly now. I was hoping to do a little more work with him with the help of Mark in these holidays, but the weather has been so bad and as all the fields are completely water logged it has just not been possible. The water logging has been so bad the seepage had started to come up through my ancient stable flooring, what a nightmare. Prince my labrador is hale and hearty and doesn't mind what the weather brings as long as he can play in the park, and see some of his doggy friends.

A few girl friends and I had got together one day a week, 'very sewing bee', to spend the day chatting and sewing around the kitchen table. We made felt Christmas decorations prior to Christmas, and each of us took turns providing a lunch. It was pleasant to spend most of a day crafting and chatting, with no pressing time agenda and without feeling guilty we should have been doing something else. Hopefully we will continue these days in some form in the New year. I have been trying out felting, I started off by making a small mouse. I didn't seem to be able to find a lot of information about the subject, except a video that showed making the basic shape by stabbing the wool ball with the barbed needle, so armed with that very basic info, I bought a small bag of white wool and a couple of needles, and winged it. I managed to stab my fingers almost as much as the wool, but eventually got the hang of it and finished the little mouse. I added glass bead eyes which I sewed on, and lightly coloured the details. I didn't add any wire to the structure. just the wool which if you compressed enough with the needle stabbing will support the little model.

Vintage Christmas Tree Boxes to Make

Can be found in Artwolf on Etsy

Rosettes for all Occasions

Ready printed Templates for you to print and make up in Artwolf on Etsy. Retro Halloween, Poe, and Trick or Treat, in the Halloween style with a Lovely Cherubs Romantic style too. Make your own at a fraction of the price, instead of buying expenisive machines and templates. As well as the picture run through below, all Artwolfs rosette purchases come with a detailed text and diagram sheet on tips and assembly. These rosettes are best printed onto a good quality weight paper, and made up to be either a finished, or a professional looking start point to your own party decorations. You can add tuille, crepe, ribbons, attach them to batons and add lots of crunchy glitter.

Fly Past Pomp & Ceremony

After The drive by, The crowds are allowed to fload The Mall Right up to The Palace. Where The Queen and family members appeared on the balcony. A Stirring Fly past by Dakota and Lancaster Bombers flanked by Spitfires was Followed by the Red Arrows display team flying over the Palace streaming Red, White and Blue Smoke. The Irish Guards Proceeded with Gunfire Salutes and this was followed by their removing their ceremonial Busbees, and Tradional Cheering the Queen, which seem to delight Her Majesty.

Royal Luncheon and Home for a Cuppa

The two greys, I believe the darker ones are named Storm and Cloudy, which was appropriate for the weather. The Red Carriage horse neck dressings,decoration and pompoms were specially made for this Diamond Jubilee. The coachperson from the third coach that would have been in the prosession presents the tradional bouquet always left in the carriage for the Queen on her return to the Palace on this occasion.

Gift Box Assembly Step by Step

Click on pictures to see a larger version.
1.Print and cut out your template and tags etc on sheet leaving a small amount of white waste surrounding each piece, this will protect your pieces  edges should you decide to store them for future use.
2. Cut into any corners, a centre and side cuts to faciltate ease of cutting. Cut right up to the templates line edges this will stop over cutting into the template, also cut out any tight places 2A, before cutting out the main template for your Box.
3. When cutting out the rest leave in the little arrow markers at the top edges, this are there to help you centre and line up your hole punching for the ribbon or ties. they can be snipped off after you have punched the holes Hole punching can be  completed before glueing or later after your glue has set.
4. Score and crease all the lines directly on the lines, and crease well, this will help you when assembling your Gift box.
5. Apply glue to the two small lower Side tabs
6. Bend around and glue to the bottom of the Box
7. Bend the large bottom tab to the inside of the Box and Glue the small side tab and stick to the remaining   side's edge.
8. Looking inside your box you can see there is only the bottom large tab left to Glue.
9. Bend to the inside and apply glue with card or spread with finger.
10. Push back aginst the boxes side using a flat surface or ruler to push aginst, so as not to crease your box.
11. Line up the two arrow tabs and punch a hole straight through the two sides held together, using the arrows as a centreing guide.

 The next two pictures shown a box made up, decorate with glitter, ribbon and have fun.

The Queens Horses and Dogs

Celebrating the diamond Jubilee with the Queens Horses & Dogs