Life is better with buttons

It's very rare that I enter competitions, mostly because I am a very sore loser and I don't have a great track record at winning things. Whilst in India last year we decided the order of shower use after a days teaching in incredible heat via rock, paper, scissors and I was always last. You'd think I would learn but who walks the dog at night is decided in this same age old way. As soon as my husband suggests rock, paper, scissors I put my coat on in anticipation of loosing. I'm still optimistic that I will win one day, the odds have to go in my direction eventually right?

Anyway, when I saw one of the many competitions on Facebook run by the wonderful people of JellyBean Home Decor and Gifts part of the realistic me thought I should keep scrolling. But what caught my eye was the fact this company was using National Kindness week to give away some kindness. They invited people to list whatever would cheer that person up. And reading through the list I couldn't help but be encouraged. There was a person asking for purple socks- just because, someone asked for a notebook - we all need a good notebook, another lady just wanted some kind words of encouragement.

The thing was all these people were just looking for something to make them smile and I realised happiness comes in all shapes and sizes but for some it's purple socks because, well, why the heck not! Feeling upbeat already I decided to comment asking for a bag of buttons. Specifically not the chocolate kind. I love buttons. I buy them whenever I see their round goodness and for no reason at all. There shouldn't have to be a reason for buttons. Life is just better with them.

To my absolute surprise, I was picked! I nearly wet myself with excitement. Not only was I getting buttons but I had actually won something. 

Then this happened:

A big package made its way through my door. I'm a huge present fan and I could barely contain my excitement. In fact I think I shrieked. 

But then this happened:

I had a lovely note awaiting my attention with an even better surprise, inside the original package was a smaller package with buttons made just for me!

To appreciate my excitement delve deep into your memories as a child playing pass the parcel, you've just won the first round and then by sheer magic you win the next round. That's how greedily I tore into the package.

This is what I found: 

Buttons!!! Lots of lovely buttons.

As if the excitement couldn't get any better I dug out the second package. 

Look at the size of that green one! I love it! But then look what was inside the green package:

Two beautifully glittery handmade buttons just for me by the very talentalented people at Little Dragon Jewellery. 

I have no idea how I'm going to use them yet and I might not for a while but it certainly made my day. Thank you JellyBean for your lovely kindness. I hope many people are inspired to do the same. 

In that spirit, for anyone that shares this blog post, I will enter your name into a hat and promise three people a chocolate bar. Happy kindness week people. 

Ps. Both companies can be found on Facebook and I believe on Etsy. 

Up cycled baby grows

When you first meet me I promise your first instinct will not be 'wow what a maternal woman' it's much more likely to be 'wow how has this person survived on her own so long'. You think I'm kidding but my nearest and dearest often joke that I'm on day release and they are my carers.
My point: I'm probably the least likely person to be interested in baby clothes. Now I haven't gone to the lengths of Sarah Millican who accidentally collects baby clothes for when Cheryl Cole pops by but I do think they are cute.
This is not your invitation to suggest I start having babies, I know I'm a person in possession of a uterus that is still ornamental but I promise you, I'm merely making a statement.
My latest craft fix comes from taking the baby grow that the child has grown out of, (taking the clothes from babies while they are still wearing them is probably more frowned upon than taking candy right?) cutting it up and making it into something new. This something new happens to be a love heart made out of covered buttons using the baby grows. The parents pick the clothes so they get to treasure the memories for much longer than it's acceptable to keep the baby grow, if Sarah, you are reading this perhaps it's time the tiny jeans go, and you get a keepsake for their room. And it's not just for girls. When a colleague passed me a bag of boys clothes I had a mini melt down but then came up with the dinosaur you see at the bottom.
Both sets of mummies at least liked the pictures from what I could gather and it kept my hands from shoving cake into a reluctant face for at least a day so it's all good. Ok so the face wasn't reluctant. I want cake.

Round cushion

The last blog I did told the journey of a cushion from dad to daughter via brother and today's blog looks at what happened to the second of the pair. If you want to read it http://thefattycrafter.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/upcycled-cushion.html?m=1 is the link you need for the first cushion.
In short - massive cushion, didn't match, needed upcycling, done using purple, new cushion that matches, everyone is a winner.
So seeing as I used most of the jersey fabric on the first cushion I needed to come up with either more fabric or an alternative design. Now for those of you that know me will know how stingy I am so obviously I went with the later.
Following a pattern from a magazine I sewed blocks of rectangular fabric together. You're supposed to use four blocks of each colour but because I only had three in each I figured it would do. Told you I'm stingy.
I was a bit amazed that something that was rectangular would become a circle, I teach English not geometry afterall. Don't judge me too harshly.
I joined the ends of the large rectangle and then put Grey's on. This cushion is so simple that you can watch tv while putting it together.
I did a running stitch and pulled it tight. Job done for one end. Then I did it again for the other end. This was trickier, not impossible just tricker. Pull in together slightly so that you have a circle only big enough to put your hand in. Then stuff it. I used the stuffing from my other, old cushion but you can buy fresh stuff from almost any haberdashery. Then pull the thread to seal the second end of the cushion.
I used the thread that I still had on my needle to sew through the middle. It just gives the cushion more of a shape - you don't have to do this, if for example the episode of Grey's that you are watching has just reached the shooter episode where Gary Clarke walks into the lift with Christina. Feel free to pay close attention to that instead.
Depending on your preference what you do next will make your cushion all the more unique. I made hearts to cover the hole, I've seen buttons used and other shapes. It's up to you. Let me know how you get on.

Upcycled cushion

When you start out in a new home you tend to accept every piece of charity that you can. Somehow the word has negative connotations now but I still see it as kindness from those who want to help and don't accept the shame that the word is often spat out with.

When my husband and I first moved in together we were very blessed to have so much given to us. Very little was what we wanted for our home but it didn't matter because we had a home, each other and a house full of stuff. Much of which still adorns our house. Now as much as I would love a new sofa, the one we have is still serviceable, it was given to me by my brother over 3 years ago and he had it in at least four different homes before it found its resting place with me. I'm confident we will have a house of things we've picked for ourselves before we reach sixty but I don't mind accepting charity for now because it means that the money we do have can be put to better use. It also means one thing: upcylcing! 

This is a cushion is one of a pair that my dad gave me four years ago. 

It's enormous for a cushion as you can see by my foot being next to it. My dad's living room and sofa was green when he had it, my brother's sofa (now mine) is gold so thankfully they matched. But, my living room is now purple, with dark wood. It doesn't match. It's also at least 8 years old so the stuffing has gone lumpy and it has definitely lost its shape so I decided to cut it up. 

I took off the cushion covers, I tend to give them to charity, it would be hypocritical not to, and cut the inner cushion down by 15cm on each side making the stuffing more like stuffing again.

I made an envelope cushion cover with some fabric I had lying around - I wish I wrote down where I got it from, it is really nice. Then I cut hearts out of a contrasting fabric, still purple.

This is the end product:

Before you say anything the hearts are supposed to be on the left side. I used the photography rule of threes and am mega pleased with it.

I wanted a waterfall type look which meant lots of hearts. I wish I had been less ambitious. The hearts took the longest. Despite the cushion easily still passing for a floor cushion the fiddley parts always take the longest.

They were pinned in place and sewn on. I used white thread for two reasons, it makes the hearts stand out and I'm too lazy to go upstairs to fetch a different colour thread after spending ages making the cushion. 

For the record, hearts are not the easiest thing to sew around and when you look closely at my stitches they could probably be better. But I'm the fatty crafter not a perfect crafter.

And besides, it looks awesome in my living room. Something that matches, yay!

Embroidery for a tea addict

Good morning folks. Just sharing with you another make done in stages and finally handed out recently for a birthday that happened a long time ago. Long distance friendships, what can I say.
The stitches read 'you're just my cup of tea' and the ribbon reads 'handmade with love'. My crafting seems to be improving but my ability to take pictures is not.
I saw this idea in a shop and thought I should give it a go. I drew the pattern on the back of the fabric so you wouldn't see the pencil marks - I'm not a brilliant artist so I knew I would need to hide the pencil marks.
This worked quite well except you have to keep turning the fabric over to make sure you're following the pattern but making sure that the stitches look good on the right side. I wish I had used my embroidery hoop and cannot highlight enough how useful these rounds of wood are. It would've made my life much easier. I used backstitch for the pattern and the words which I think worked quite well.
If you're looking for an alternative mothers day gift and have a little ditty that you and a special someone share, these might be just the thing. I'm really pleased with the outcome, it's a really personal gift that I think my friend likes. I guess I will know if I see it when I next go and visit.

The Goodness Jar

Some people like to make new year resolutions. There is an idea that when January comes around and you feel bloated and hung over from Christmas that it is the right time to assess your progress and objectively make changes in your life; except it isn't objective because you feel bloated and hung over.
By now and without being pessimistic my guess is many nyr's have been forgotten and regular February behaviour has commenced. One thing we have done in this household though is taken proactive steps to be more thankful. How do I know it will work? Because I made a craft thing that I like playing with too much not to keep it up.
It's a goodness jar. It may look like a strange french maid but it's a goodness jar. Every time something good happens we write it on the pad, fold it up and put it in the goodness jar. It could be seeing friends, getting to talk about God at work, doing a bunch of situps - whatever is good goes in the jar.
The idea is that in a year's time we open the jar and focus on all the positives of the year. It's worked so far so I'm thinking this nyr should last.