On My Sewing Table...............

It's been a busy few weeks and it doesn't look like it's going to let up, well not just yet anyway! I finally finished two custom baby blankets. 
One using my favourite deer fabric mixed with lots of grey and mustard prints. I was so happy with it and could have quite happily kept it! 
And in my excitement and hurry to get it sent out to its new owner completely forgot to photograph it finished along with the other blanket! 
Yes I could kick myself!! It's also been a busy time for baby gift sets, there are a few new ones in my shop and also lots of favourites in stock!

Handmade Christmas: Stocking Fillers

 Image credits. 1.Minifanfan 2.FionaT 3.KatieFew 4.Weegallery 5.ColourMeFun 6.KraKra 7.MosseryCo

One of the things that I struggle with when it comes to gift buying for Christmas is finding stocking fillers for my children. Managing to find small, relatively inexpensive items, yet worthwhile gifts can be difficult, and you can usually find me Christmas Eve in my local toy shop with a last minute handful of plastic bits and bobs that I know full well will end up discarded on the floor of their bedroom by the end of Christmas. So in an attempt to a: find gifts that will be enjoyed and cherished and b: support small handmade businesses here is my third part in my 'Handmade Christmas' series - Stocking Fillers.

1.  Sticker Set by Minifanfan on Etsy this shop is full of quirky stickers described by the maker as 'Happy Drawing for Happy People' and I completely agree!
2. Ninja Bookmark by Fiona T on folksy. An amazing unique shop full of zombies and ninja's what more can young boys want!
3. Apple Compact Mirror by Katie Few perfect for girls of any age including mums!
4. Forest Tattoos by Wee Gallery I can imagine these going down very well with my kids. Wee Gallery is a lovely shop on Etsy as well as temporary tattoos there are baby art cards and rubber stamps that also look very good.
5. Monkey Crayons by Colour Me Fun, a jam packed shop on folksy full of different crayons perfect for your little artist!
6. Wee Bird by KraKra I can imagine one of these poking out of my daughters stocking. It is well worth checking out this lovely colourful shop, especially her dolls, this one is my favourite.
7. 'We are all here' pocket notebook by Mossery Co. Stationery items go down very well with my kids and especially notebooks. They happily spend hours writing in them, filling them with drawings and stickers. 
My 8year old boy has a little stack of notebooks by him at night and I find it fascinating to see what he has drawn in them in the morning!   

If you have any ideas for handmade stocking fillers I would love to hear about them. 

New Organic Baby Bibs

I am busy editing photos of new organic baby bibs that I will be listing in my shops over the weekend. These are some of my favourite images of my bibs. It seems a shame to crop them, but square photos work best on sites like Etsy, so that's my job for tonight!

On my sewing table.......

This week it's all been about catching up with orders, including an order to a stockist. It's nice to occasionally batch sew. It gives you a chance to build up a rhythm, all the cutting can be done, then the sewing up of the bib fronts, then attaching the towelling, etc. It gives you a chance to build up a bit of speed as it cuts out the stopping and starting. It is also very satisfying when you end up with a pile of bibs at the end of the production line! 
This pile of bibs have gone off to Inside Out a lovely shop who are now stocking a great range of goodies from smaller handmade businesses like myself along side items from Cath Kidston and Orla Kiely in their stores in Tavistock, Exeter and Dartmoor. 
I always find though after concentrating on sewing one item that I am desperate to let my creative juices flow! So expect lots of new gift sets to start appearing in my shop next week!

Handmade Christmas: In the Woods

 Image credits 1.2of2, 2.Inkkit, 3. Gunnaydri, 4.Lessandmore, 5. Peacelovebeach

Second part of my series 'Handmade Christmas' where I am featuring items made with love and passion by independent small businesses, like myself. This week 'In the Woods'. Gift ideas for me, for the gardener in my life, a stocking filler for my little artist and ideas for the rustic home.

1. A Tabletop Forest by 2of2 a very talented brother and sister design team.
2. Twig Pencils by Inkkit, a pretty stationery and packaging shop on Etsy
3. A Scandianvain Retro Deer Cushion from Gunnaydri, on Etsy and based in London. I love this shop and would be happy to have any of it as a gift!
4. A Tealight holder/Seed starter holder by Lessandmore. Their desk organizers are amazing too! 
5. Modern metal Bird Cuff/Bracelet by Peace love beach. I am deeply in love with the jewellery in this shop, and have about five of Beth's cuffs on my Christmas wish list!

My Daughter

A conversation between my 3 year old daughter and me!

"Mummy, why do you keep using your camera"

Me: "Because I like taking photos".

Daughter: "Why do you keep taking photos of me?"

Me: "Because you are beautiful and also because I am trying to learn how to use my new camera."

Daughter: "Oh" (pauses for thought) "Mummy should I stand still for you so you can learn to take some photos?"

Me: "Well yes that would be great!"

Daughter: "Mummy"

Me: "Yes:

Daughter: "I don't think I can stand still!"

I can not quite believe that this little girl, the baby of our family turns 4 tomorrow. It is with bitter sweet emotions that we will celebrate this day. She amazes me every day with her thoughts, her giggles and her love. I can not wait to see her grow though at the same time wish I could bottle her up with all the curiosities and energy she has. Her unconditional love that she has for her brothers makes my heart melt. She wants to do everything they do and more often than not manges to succeed. Her determination and the way she asserts herself is something that I admire greatly. She has made sure that even though she is the baby of the family that she is not overlooked! She is loud, playful and strong willed. She is caring and nurturing and often will stop what she is doing to come and tell me that she loves me. I will never tire of hearing her say "Mummy I really love you so much" and I will never run out of the reply "I love you so much too".

Her dream of what she wants to be when she grows up sums her up right now so well.

"Mummy when I grow up I want to be an Olympic runner. 

And Mummy when I grow up I also want to be an Olympic Swimmer,

and Mummy I also want to be an Olympic talker!"

 {One of these I think she has already managed!}

Hello October...............

And then it was October. 

I really can't believe we are already in the tenth month of the year. The days, weeks, and months are racing by at an alarming rate, though I feel happy to find myself in October. I like watching nature change, getting itself ready for the shorter, colder days ahead. I too like to spend the month, getting ready, preparing for the winter. Gathering in the last of our harvests from our allotment, the chopping and stacking of fire wood, getting out the blankets and warmer bedding for the beds. Even our cooking changes, salads are replaced by soups and there is a return to regular baking. October is a time to celebrate, to admire natures beauty, to remember to look up and see the colour around us, to forage and collect. To sit toasting ourselves in front of a roaring fire after a walk in the woods. I like the layering of clothes, wrapping myself up in my favourite knitted cardigan and the wearing of snoods and mittens. 

With so much to do this month you will be finding us;
Celebrating our babies 4th birthday with bittersweet emotions.
Walking in the woods and collecting leaves and nuts to decorate the house.
Filling the house with the smell of fresh bread as I work my way through baking and eating most of the recipes from this book.
Carving pumpkins with the kids ready for Halloween, my son's favourite time of the year!
Lighting the first fire of the season.
Not minding when it rains on the school run as it means I get to wear an early Christmas present from my parents! 
Listening to the crunching of leaves under our feet.
Meeting up with friends and exploring the grounds of this beautiful place.
Sewing something for my daughter using this gorgeous fabric,
and sewing something for myself using this eagerly awaited fabric collection.
And finally a little family break here, where hopefully the weather will be kind and we can get to spends days enjoying the Autumn sunshine whilst walking on the beach.

October, it is good to see you!