Pins & Needles #2

As promised, a pin cushion to match!
I haven't put them together as a 'Sew your own' kit...but still thinking about it!
Meanwhile, I have been to the market today and purchased lots of ribbon and Christmas fabrics. Then on the way back to the car I stopped in the library and borrowed...

I have been needing to make something for a 1yr old boy but have been struggling to get ideas. I have found the perfect idea in 'Recraft by Buttonbag'.

While in town I tried on these beautiful shoes...

I would need to sell approx. 15 pin cushions to purchase them...Hmmm...better get sewing!

Pins & Needles

Today I started making some things for the stalls I hope to do nearer Christmas.
These are little needle cases made from rather funky material I found when on holiday. I think I will make matching pin cushions and perhaps sell them as a set. I'm also thinking of producing them as a 'sew your own' range so that those who would enjoy the challenge of making one can sew their own.

Covering buttons in our pyjamas.

The boys are still in bed and LJ and I are still in our pyjamas. We have been distracted by covering buttons in all sorts of fabric. I need to be careful I don't cover them all as I ordered them for my cushion covering workshop on Friday night. There is something quite addictive about covering buttons!

Autumn's Coming Soon

I'm not sure whether I am looking forward to or dreading Autumn this year. I look forward to getting back into routine and having a bit more time for 'Lilyjean, Quirky&Handmade' but I dread the cold days and dark nights.

On a trip to London last week I got the chance to pop into the Marimeko shop in St Christopher's Place, just off Oxford Street. Although out of my price range I was inspired by their new Autumn designs. They have looked to the weather for their inspiration and are celebrating 'rain'. I would really have to dig deep to be inspired by 'rain' but they have come up with some beautiful images.

I especially love this last image 'Drip tunic' and can see a little girls dress design with lots of rain drops and a colourful umbrella as a possible winter design. This will be Lj's first Autumn of preschool so I may even have enough free time to realise the picture which is currently in my head!

Last day of summer?

Today it was hot (for us!). The car read 26oC at 7.30 when we went to pick M up from the station. Yet the forecast for tomorrow is rain and 17oC, if we are lucky. So today really did feel like it might be the end of an amazingly warm Summer. To make the most if it we played and ate outside. Tidied all the garden toys away and prepared for the change in seasons.

Goodbye sandals, shorts and bare arms!

Humorous MJ

I wrote this post a few months ago but never got round to finishing it and then it was forgotton. Today I witnessed again some of the personality which I have written about below and was reminded of this lost post!

MJ

1. He is developing a fun sense of humour.
I noticed it on Sunday and again today. On Sunday we were at a BBQ in an unfamiliar place with all but 3 unfamiliar people (a situation MJ would not normally be comfortable in). As we were eating, one of the young ladies from church got up to go to the bathroom. Before leaving she asked MJ not to let anyone take her plate, but as soon as she had gone MJ picked it up and moved it two places along so that on her return she thought it was missing. MJ's giggles gave the joke away very quickly but the incident really made me see a new part of him emerge.

Today I took the girls (Lj and my niece) along to his school sports day. I would have photos to show had I not left the battery on charge at home, but I digress. As he waited with his team for their next event I watched as he plucked at the grass and then deposited it on a little girl's head, who was sitting in front of him. She swiped them off her hair and he sat back looking smug. Following the next race again they were sitting waiting and the same girl was now two ahead of him and so I watched as he plucked more grass and reached over the girl in front and popped it onto the original little girl's hair. To which she swung round and was rather surprised to see a very innocent looking girl behind her and not MJ who she had been suspecting!

He loves his practical jokes and tried a few out on me today. Lj in her naivety loves them and looks at him admiringly as he works his 'magic'!

Goodbye Summer...

Today's title has been taken from a little song we sing with the kids to help them remember the months of the year. As the school holidays draw to a close I have been reflecting on our Summer and preparing for a new Season. 'Autumn's coming soon' will hopefully be my next post!

The weather this Summer has been and continues to be amazing. We were genuinely surprised to wake to rain on Saturday morning but thankfully that has dried up and we have returned to warm and sunny days. The nights however are closing in and getting cooler so we know that these hot and sunny days will not last forever.

The holidays have flown by and while last Summer (2012) was marked by MJ's physical achievements such as learning to ride his bike and becoming more confident in the water, this summer has been about mental progress. Everyday we have tried to work on his Numeracy and Literacy so that he can keep up with his classmates. He has grown to love Maths and it has been a joy to see him and M work together on which method they should use for each problem. He is much less keen on reading and spelling but I can see his confidence developing in this area too. With the new term starting soon and with it more extra curricular activities I really hope we can maintain our breakfast/worksheet routine.

Lj is a quick learner, I overheard her helping MJ out with one of his words as he spelt the months of the Year. So while he is doing his work, we encourage Lj to also sit and work on her tasks...or just get her to sit and finish breakfast(which is an achievement in itself!). Her determination and independence gets her into a few scraps but after a word from MJ on disobedience (which I overheard while at a distance) she keeps telling me that she is trying to obey and wants to be a 'good' girl. So far, so good!

 A fun day in Hatfield Forest with good friends.

 Walking in the river at Gosford Forest Park, just before Lj fell in!

 Fun in the garden with Great Auntie Liz.

 Visiting Grandad, Nanna and all our cousins in N.Ireland.

Enjoying the Wales.

It has been a simple out doors Summer. With tree climbing, picnicing, pond dipping, crabbing, train riding, beach combing, hut building, sand castle building, bike riding, fruit picking and plane spotting in North Wales, N.Ireland and home!