spectacular spectacular!

I've completed and framed my 1st birthday memento cross stitches, hurrah!!!!

Here they are in all their pride and glory!

I think they look absolutely fab and am so impressed with how they turned out :)

check in soon,

Lydia

Party invites are finally sorted...

...well the design anyway. It's taken me ages to get my act together and actually go and get the different coloured and textured papers I wanted. One trip to Dunelm Mill and I got them all :) It also meant I did pick up a few things that I didn't need but they were just too good not to get!!!

I'm still undecided about the grass, it looks great but I have 24 to make and give out before December (Isaac's birthday is in January) and I've also got things I'm making people for Christmas. It may be easier to just do a block of green rather than spiky grass.

I did the invite on card postcards as they seemed easier-and cheaper to get your hands on-than cards. I'm going to put a coloured piece on the back to add our address, RSVP date and any message to the recipient. I think this will be orange or green but undecided as yet, may just stick to blue?!

Check in soon,

Lydia

Finally finished the first two 1st birthday mementos!!!!!

Well it has taken me longer than I expected although with Isaac now trying to stand it is becoming increasingly difficult to try to get craft things or anything involving the laptop done without him hanging off me to try and stand next to me!

I am very pleased with the end result.

The boys design: (almost the same as the kit I completed but altered a little)

The stitching detail. 

The charms weren't exactly the ones I hoped to get and I was a bit worried they may look a bit tacky but they actually worked really well.

The name and age. 

This design as it stands at the moment would probably fit a name up to 6 letters but could be modified slightly to fit more.

The girls design: (this is one I designed myself)

    The stitching detail. 

I'm still unsure whether I will keep to the gold outlining with future ones I make, it was more a matter of timing as I wanted to get them done as their birthdays are in a few weeks. It was a choice between the gold or the blue thread that outlines the butterfly.           

                      

 Name and Age

This design will fit more letters than the boys one although the boys design will be easier to alter the digit of the age.  

Check in soon,

Lydia 

Some previous projects :)

I thought I'd add some of my previous projects on here too as I remembered today how pleased I was with myself for actually sitting down and completing them, my son was younger  then so I did have more guaranteed 'me' time for crafting. I think I just need to be more organized, I remember a lot of mum's I spoke to were amazed I even had enough time to complete these projects, the quilt especially took a long time for me to plan out (I only had a certain amount of material that had been gifted from my mum's fabric stash!) so I had to make sure I did it right. It wasn't perfect, the squares didn't line up but for a first attempt I was just happy that it looked good and that I had actually completed it!!! I made a matching taggie to go with it too as it was for my son.

I also tried making some baby shoes. I'm sure if my son could talk he would have been wondering why he needed so many shoes!!!

Kimono Shoes

The first attempt at slip-on shoes

Slip-on shoes

Some girls ballerina pumps...slightly more tricky to make

check in soon, 

Lydia 

A method to the madness

I've always been pretty good at cross stitch and like many crafters had many projects that I had started with good intentions of finishing. Most of them are still only half completed or on my 'to do' list.

I had so many plans for things to make for our house before our son was born but as always projects I was doing for other people for birthday's or christmas took priority over anything I wanted to do for myself. Since our son was born in January I find most of my time is spent trying to entertain him around the house or when we're not at home we're at baby groups or out with little friends. I found myself really needing small projects that I could complete in an evening or two (now that his sleep routine is finally sorted) to keep me motivated and feeling like I had something for myself once Isaac was asleep.

I came across a few small kits on eBay that I purchased just because they looked like they would take hardly any time at all and would come it handy for housewarming, christmas or birthday presents. I completed the first kit in a day (a Nemo cross-stitch) although I did add a few bits, my son's name and a few bubbles.

The second one I decided I would do for my Grandma for christmas. She lives in a residential home so it's quite difficult to get something that's different from what she got the previous christmas or birthday. Let's face it do you really need any more pairs of slippers or biscuit selection boxes!? Once completed it looked great :)

With so many children's birthdays coming up around the same time as my son's (January!) I really wanted to be able to make something for them that I could complete before christmas that would be individual to them and have their name on it. I had already stocked up on a few children's things (story books, a few types of wooden cars and buses, crayons etc) but for a first birthday it's difficult to think of something that a) they won't have and b) that will be appreciated.

I set myself this task knowing that I also have three birthdays next month (October) which I plan to make these for so no time for hanging about. I am tempted to stick with the boat design for the boys for now and design a new one soon. A girls one is designed I just have to stitch it, acquire a few charms and beads, and price up frames at our local picture frame shop.

My husband will be very happy knowing there is finally a meaning to all my crafting madness!!! :)

check in soon,

Lydia