New Blocks

It's been another busy week here - as I try to do at least 3 full time jobs! Obviously the one that suffers most is the role of 'housewife'...so, while I can confirm that everyone got fed and clean pants were provided, our house looks like we've been burgled. Again.

On the upside some new plants plus large heart have made the front door look pretty (you can tell where my priorities lie!)

I'm supposed to be scaling down my little shop in order to concentrate on Cleggy's business - which I did manage... for all of....hmmmm, 2 weeks.

Much as I love education, I simply prefer to make things!

I also said I wasn't going to make any Father's Day products this year, but couldn't resist just one:

available here

 The baby boy block is my all time biggest seller so I decided I needed a new option:

Available here

I've also had some lovely commissions - these are for Catherine's wedding anniversary

(hope R likes them too!)

And these seaside ones are for lovely Helen 

 I can't wait to see how she uses them to display her work (loving our trading Helen!)

                    

These ones are for a NOTHS customer Lorraine who wanted something slightly different from the regular baby girl block. 

We've had a lovely couple of days with my little sister Nelly and wee Mabel. The boys just love playing with her. Kenzie made us all some cookies - and we've had a good catch up.

LO♥E this photo...

Inspired by my little niece I've started working on a new line of products (yep, scaling down again!) which have been really nice to make...

This one is a canvas, but staying true to my Chipper roots the ones on the shop will be on wood.

       

The paper and bits and pieces are ready to start on a boy version...which is what I'll be working on this week, 

when I should be cleaning!!!

fee

(I know a fair few of my blogging friends are going through hard times at the moment - you know who you are...and I'm thinking of you x)

I Love Tracy Gallup....

Actually I've never met her...but I LOVE her work!

Cleggy once bought a little book he got for the boys when they were younger called 'Stone Crazy'

It was one of a series - all featuring Tracy's work and words - just gorgeous. 

Cleggy bought all four books in the series and we all loved the little people in them. 

I did a bit of research a couple of years ago and discovered that Tracy sells some of the figures in the illustrations. I was BEYOND excited, not least because, like most men, Cleggy is near impossible to buy presents for, and I knew he would LOVE to own one.

I contacted her - and she found the perfect one for me - this little guy looking through his heart stone. 

I had to keep him secret for a few months so he stayed wrapped up in the workshop...although I got him out now and again for a sneaky look!

Tracy also really kindly sent me some photos of the place where she found the heart stone which I had enlarged and blocked.

(on a bizarre aside, the gallivanting Granny saw the photos and said 'I've been there'. I scoffed slightly - but she named the exact place - Washington National Park! Nuff respect!)

Anyway - we treasured the little man, but thought it would be nice to have two more, to represent our three boys.

Most of the figures are within natural things like stone, bark, shell etc. I specifically wanted a boy in a box as it links perfectly with Cleggy's pedagogy. 

It was really hard to choose (I wanted them ALL!) but plumped for a shell for the third figure

We adore them - and I find myself photographing them regularly.

We don't own many 'precious' breakable things (for obvious reasons!) so these little people live on the fireplace in the lounge...where there is a strict NO WRESTLING rule!!!

(don't worry Tracy - they are all safe)

I like to wonder who will treasure them in years to come....

Here's some more beautiful examples...a feast for the eyes:

Tracy lives in Michigan and is also a wonderful 

writer and illustrator

Here's the link if you want to see more.

fee x 

ps 4 5 more followers til the big 200...nearly giveaway time!!! 

[you win some you lose some!]

Mirror Monday (for one day only!)

I've stood in front of the mirror and taken a photo of my big cheesy grin for my friend Roos, who is 'celebrating' a years worth of Mirror Monday posts! I say celebrating...she should be celebrating the fact she's still sane, and has (for the most part) retained her sense of humour!

It's actually harder than you think to take a photo of yourself  - most of mine looked like this 

where I'm trying to see if I'm 'in it' while taking the picture. Doh!

Anyway - that's it for today. 

Apart from to say:

"Roos, you are an inspiration. I hope the next 12 months are much MUCH easier and I'm sending virtual love your way today 

more than ever!"

fee x

(and to add that I'm wearing my work pinny...not some sort of pinnafore dress of of the 80's!)

The post where I realise I dress like a Clown...

So, turns out it wasn't only my family who thought the clown in the photo was me!!!

Bearing this in mind I decided to revisit my wardrobe....and this is what I found:

Current favourite dress

favourite shoes

 ...bag

favourite scarf

favourite ring

(cute isn't it? 

It has a little cut out ♥ in the back...a present from Cleggy)

Yep...I dress like a 

flamin' clown!

Anyway, inspired by clown antics I made some circus blocks this week (will get them online soon)

I love circus images!

I dressed down for a lovely day out in Knutsford with Emily B. The sun was out for a change, and so was the bunting

We talked (and ate) too much so missed the wool shop! (main reason for picking Knutsford!)

Cleggy and I have been busy writing/taking photos for another book - this time it's '50 fantastic things to do with sand and water'. The kitchen was turned into a science lab - and it made for some interesting photos

 Some of the activities are worth a go if you have young children - see Cleggy's current post for how to!

Last make for today - a sign for Mabel's room

 Finally I've just noticed I've nearly reached 200 followers (wooo hooo) which can only mean one thing...time for a giveaway celebration. As soon as I reach the golden number it's game on...fee x

Back To Basics

Thank you again for sending so much love for my brave boy.  

I was rather peturbed that more than one member of my family thought the clown in the top photo of the previous post was ME! I like to think they meant her smiley face - but fear it may have been her outfit!

Kenzie is still doing well and is loving all the attention. 

Meanwhile little brother GB is obviously lacking attention - as he came downstairs at the weekend looking like THIS:

He had even gone to the trouble of painting the inside of the cotton wool red, so that when he pulled it out it looked like it was soaked in blood! What a boy....

Anyway, enough of the hospital talk - back to my staple blog diet (boys, crochet and blocks!)

Here is the message I found on my bathroom door this morning

Not exactly the chic sign my bathroom deserves!

I'm such a crochet sheep - I lurch from blanket, to jar cosy, to scarf to... frankly,  whatever anyone else is making. 

I realised pretty quickly that anything that took patience more than one night wasn't for me, so have recently become obsessed with neck warmers (3 WIP's but nothing to show!) and more recently Amigurumi. 

Inspired by Victoria I set to, making a teeny tiny rabbit for my gorgeous neice Mabel. Except it didn't end up small - it was bloomin' massive!

Cute though.

I didn't expect (1 year old) Mabel to want to actually play with it - but got a text from Nelly saying 

"Mabes loves her rabbit - she's currently chewing the buttons....

hope your handy work holds up"

Yikes!

Anyway - undeterred I tried again - 

this time a teeny weeny mouse. 

And it worked!

Its been a busy few weeks in the chipper shop and I've had some lovely commissions to keep me even busier. These ones were for Claire, who was inspired by Annies recent giveaway!

Claire requested some coordinating blocks in duck egg blue, pale green and mulberry pink, with words that have meaning for her.

They made a lovely collection:

I also made some for Annie! In colours to match her 

beautiful blog....

 

Finally - some blog shares in case you've missed them

Over at decor8 there are some brilliantly clever ideas for ways to use your instagram images (love the stickers!)

...and at oh, hello friend Danni has a beautiful calendar screensaver on her current post:

 ...there's still time to enter 

Susan's scrumptous giveaway here:

where you can win fabric, ribbon, yarn, buttons....

 ...and lastly, in the quest to fill the picnik gap, I'm still loving picmonkey - but also ipiccy, which already has the good old collage option!

That's it. 

♥ fee ♥