Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather...,

or in this case, a bottle of wine!, but after all my moaning last week, just look at this...,

my children, (and husband!), frolicking in a field,

chasing butterflies and picking the odd wild flower.

We spent Saturday night under canvas, in a local field with a group of friends.  And, it has to be said, the person guilty of the most moaning was me.   I am not a natural camper, I went under duress, but I went nonetheless.  

Things I like about camping  ::  How excited Lucy and Luke were.  Overexcited.  I worried they were going to burst a blood vessel or something.  Watching them building dens out of branches and bundles of freshly cut grass.  And the fresh air.  I love the smell of fresh air.

Things I don't like about camping  ::  Earwigs.  I don't mind insects in general but really don't like earwigs.  Being the filling in a snoring sandwich between my husband and my son.  And lastly, waking up in the middle of the night and realising that the inflatable mattress which started out to be oh so comfy, has sprung a leak and is gradually going down, and down, and down!

Boys, and their toys...

Ideas of things to make for girls come to me very easily, things for boys however, is something I tend to get stumped on!.  I have this fabric with the cars and trucks on, some other fabrics which sit well alongside it, and also, the cute little transport buttons which are all ideal to make something for Luke with, but what?!

What should I make?, any ideas??, my mind has gone blank!

Songbird

Lots going on here, some things I can talk about, some I can't (yet!)  I took a little time out yesterday evening to make another bird, 'The Songbird'.  I really enjoy making these, and have plans for lots more following an Ebay purchase of a beautiful set of vintage postcards featuring illustrations of birds.

There are some new craft kits which I've designed for Anchor coming out soon, one of which is based on my mini owl pattern.  I've been making these owls for over a year, and given the pattern is going to be available as a kit, am going to retire the design from the Lucykate Crafts range.  There are 4 in my Etsy shop, which will be the last I make, so I guess that makes them 'limited edition'!

Thank you for all the encouraging comments about the magazine, roll on October when the first issue is launched!  Other news to look forward to is I'm off to the 'Festival of Quilts' next week, and will be meeting up with Janet, who has a stand there, and also Manda, I'm really looking forward to meeting them both in person.

My tantrum free summer came to an end rather abruptly on Monday, a visit to the museum in Leicester was somewhat marred by my angelic looking son behaving like a banshee!  My ears are still ringing.  The Wallace & Gromit exhibition was good though!

It's the summer holidays...,

...and I know I should be enjoying it, but I do feel like I'm fighting a loosing battle here.  A battle against these words.

"I'm bored!"

I am enjoying the freedom, the time with the kids (when they're not bickering), not having to be up and out of the house at a certain time.  But I browse other blogs, and as well as feeling inspired, I also do feel an air of inadequacy.  Why aren't my children happy skipping through fields, chasing butterflies and picking the odd wild flower?  Part of the reason why, isn't down to them though, it's because, here in the UK, a) the weather is rubbish, we've had rain most days for the last few weeks and there's only so many times that getting wet is fun, and b) for health and safety issues, you're not allowed in the field for fear of someone tripping, hurting themselves and suing either the local farmer or the council!

We've done stuff, cinema, swimming, visited friends, playdates, made playdoh, and other crafty activities, and yet, they still say they're bored.  I've come to the conclusion, that although I'm exhausted attempting to keep them entertained, the thing they are happiest doing, is whining!  My only hope is that, rather than being inadequate, we're actually, dare I even say it...,

normal!

In a weekend bid for some happy children, we did set to a crafty playdate.  I was contacted by a UK craft supplier a week or so ago and asked if I would like some craft items to have a go with and review.  While I don't normally go in for advertising on my blog, summer holidays, children and the offer of free supplies was too good to turn down!   So, armed with a pack of plain tote bags, fabric paint and pens, and also some spinning tops, I went into battle with the boredom.

The girls eagerly decorated t-shirts and bags,  Lucy's very happy with hers and the paint dried pretty quickly too.

(Design wise, we've gone through the High School Musical phase and have now entered Hannah Montana zone) 

While the boys tinkered around with the spinning tops.  These were great fun actually, very effective.  Cheap too, and there's 12 in each pack.

(Alternative uses for spinning tops!)

I think I may have won.  Slightly.  OK, just a little!

The war rages on, next round is paper mache, what fun!

(All supplies from Baker Ross) 

Cat creation... (and something special!)

This week has seen yet more fun with felt, and using some of my current favorite fabric from Kitty Craft, I came up with this little one. The pattern is based on the 'kitty' design as seen as my buddy icon for Flickr, I have thought for a while that I should bring this to life as a softie. Front view, and a rear view to show the heart motif and how the tail is attached.


And now for something special...

For my birthday, my husband knew that there is one fellow blogger in particular whose work I admire. He made contact, and made a commission, which was then swiftly designed and beautifully stitched, all in secret. The first I knew of this was when a package arrived all the way from New Zealand, containing my very own doll, and here she is...!

She began her journey from Prairie Mouse (image courtesy of Prairie Mouse),


to my daughters bedroom (hey, I thought she was for me!). She is a lovely addition to our household, came with her own party hat and a tiny additional doll that fits in her pocket.


She is currently perched on my 'softie shelf' above my desk watching me sew, with a couple of friends to keep her company. A big thank you to both my husband, and to Prairie Mouse.



Addition to post, my cat has made its way onto the Cuteable web site here!