A Cup of Tea and a Cushion Cover

On Sunday, Baby B went for his morning nap and Hubby B went out to the garden. I made myself a cup of tea and stood in the silence thinking 'what should I do now?' I should probably tick one of those projects off of my never ending list. So that is exactly what I did!

I dug out some fabric that I bought months ago for very little pennies in Ikea, I found my 'plan' in my note book, I cut the fabric (incorrectly), figured out how to fix the problem, pinned, sewed, and VOILA, I made a cushion cover! I finally made the cushion cover that I have intended to make since last summer.

I'm so unbelievably excited, mainly because its one of those things that 'can wait.' It's always the things for home that 'can wait.' Well, now it is ticked off! Okay so it doesn't have the button on that it should have but here it is. My nice green birdy cushion :)

I hope you like it.

Mrs Crafty B

Crocheted Baby Ball

Once upon a time, I promised to keep you posted about another special gift on the way to our little friend Baby M, following the crocheted teddy bear that I made for him

Obviously I completely forgot. I am getting better because I am remembering to go back and actually share these things!

I decided to crochet a little ball for Baby M as his Daddy really likes football and I think it is something they will share. Of course I had to do it with Daddy's team colours. Can you guess their team?

I think Baby M liked it although they live far away so I don't often get to see them :( Here is a little pic of Baby M's ball

Mrs Crafty B

Zoo Themed Cupcake Tower

It was inevitable that I would make Baby B's Birthday cake this year and probably every year to come but I wanted to make sure I went all out.

We had a little mars crispy cake on his actual birthday (which was decorated by Hubby B) and I decided that I would make a zoo themed cake for his party. With both adults and children attending, I wanted to make sure there was something for everyone. 

Of course that meant chocolate all round. I made a chocolate and hazelnut cake smothered with a chocolate ganache for the topper and I decorated lots of chocolate cupcakes with animal faces for the rest of the cake. I struggled to get these made with looking after Baby B but I did get there in the end. It went down a storm along side the trifle and cookies supplied by family members. Lucky Baby B! I hasten to add that there was a bit of cookie smuggling going on because my sister in-law makes the most yummy cookies! 

Here are a few pics of Baby B's Cake which has been prodded a few times by little fingers. I have also put in Hubby B's crispy cake :)

Mrs Crafty B

Big J and Birthday Bunting

Back when I started my blog, I mentioned Big J and said that I would would come and tell you all about Big J another time. Well, better late then never!

At the start of the year, a purchased my very first sewing machine. I shopped around for a while, picked out some sewing books, and took the plunge. I went for a Janome machine and it is so good! It's portable enough for me to move around but sturdy enough to do some hard core sewing! It's so easy to use for beginners like me but has lots of capabilities for more advanced sewing.

My pride and joy could not go unnamed and so Big J was born.

The big test came in August when I made lots of birthday bunting for Baby B's birthday. Core tongue twister! Here's a couple of pics.

Next time I shall post some pictures of his cake which I have also mentioned in previous blogs, but for now...at least you know what I mean by Big J ;)

Mrs Crafty b

Crocheted Blankets and a Bunny Rabbit Comforter

Happy Monday All,

Baby B has gone down for a little nap and it is raining outside. Pouring in fact. I decided to snuggle with a hot water bottle and quickly share with you some of the secret crochet projects that I kept babbling about.

My cousin had a baby girl a few months ago and as Mummy has a liking for bunny rabbits, I decided to make a little something for the new arrival along that theme. I designed it myself and would perhaps do some things differently but I was pleased with the result and the yarn I used was beautifully soft. Here are some  pictures. I hope she likes it.

The other projects were crochet blankets that I made for two other little babies that arrived two weeks ago. My sister and my sister in law both had little baby girls so I became an aunty for the first and second time, two days apart! They are both gorgeous and their Mummys' and Daddys' liked their gifts...I think. Except for the colour, I made them just the same as Baby B's blanket.

Here is Baby B's...

 ...and here are the two new blankies for his new baby cousins :)

Also, I am going to start taking pictures only in the daytime!

Baby B has now woken up so I have to run but I'll try and be less brief in my next post.

Come back soon.

Mrs Crafty B

Upcycled Christmas Gift Tags

Hi all!

Baby B is napping so I thought I would check in quickly with an update! I thought you might find this useful with Christmas looming.

Last Christmas I took recycled tag making kiddie style and stepped it up a notch by cutting luggage tag shapes out of old cards, instead of the pictures. I used the tags on goodies at a Christmas bazaar and of course all of my gifts to family members. I found the whole process quite therapeutic!

I decided that this tag making would become a Christmas tradition in the B Household as it would recycle all of the Christmas cards that we receive and save money on tags that get thrown away. Resourceful in every way and you can never beat a bit of a handmade touch!

Before this christmas I vowed that I would turn my collection of old cards into tags before starting this annual tag making activity. As all you crafters will know, most of us 'collect' so the pile was pretty big! However, as I said I would do, I got back to my project list, and last night I tackled a huge pile of cards!

Heres what we do....

1) Use a luggage tag that you like the style of, or a template of a tag that you like and place it over a bit of the picture that you like on an old Christmas card.

2) Draw around the tag and cut it out.

3) Punch a hole in the top of the tag, and tie some ribbon or string through the hole.

See, as easy as... well 1, 2, 3!!

On another note, at the Crafty B's Craft Group last night, I tried some embossing on some cards and I have to say I found it very addictive. The lady who lent me the equipment has informed me that she has located some new stencils. Can't wait to do some more next week!

If you find this Christmas tag malarky of any use, please share this post with you Facebook friends and Twitter followers :)

Love and bubbles,

Mrs Crafty B

Crafting a Daydream with Mrs Crafty B

And so here is my new blog!

OK so it doesn't look too different but I am now using a different platform which means I don't have to be at one particular desktop to share a post, which also means that I can update more often (she says).

It has been a crazy, crazy couple of years but as things are starting to settle down and we are all getting rested up for the big C word, I am finding that I have more time to spend on crafting. Baby B is now big enough to join in! Let the fun commence.

I have said so many times in previous posts, 'I'll tell you about that another time' or 'I'll keep you posted' so I guess my first job is to make good on those promises and update you on previous projects that are done and dusted and tell you what I am working on now. Hopefully this will serve me with some inspiration to get my butt into gear!

Although the links are now missing from my old blog posts, I have moved them over so I would love to take a trip back and share some old posts via Twitter and Facebook.

Keep an eye out for revisited posts and get in touch. I would love to hear what you are working on, what your crafty plans are for the C word and just to generally connect with all you crafters out there in the hope that we can offer each other some inspiration!

Happ-B crafting all

Mrs Crafty B