My plants don't know it is December!

OK, I am sure it must be mid December; I mean my living room looked like this( above)

Now it looks like this!
BUT my garden seems to disagree-

 Lettuces?? I mean, they did nothing all summer- why now?

 Sweet peas still in full growing mode- even got a ( admittedly singular) flower from it.

Yet parts of the garden are dying down enough for the annual ball retrieval exercise!

Yet a few days later and I believe it is December! ha ha . My new camera has this cool panoramic thing- good job it is point and click... I am not so technical!

Tree make

It is not what I would call a tutorial- just a simple thing I made , partly because I have bought the world's biggest bag of mixed sequins, but also because we have had a winter vomiting bug, so I needed something to do between boys being sick, yet nothing in any way taxing, due to lack of sleep!

Cut out 2 trees from felt, gather thread, sequins( baubles) and eyelash yarn( tinsel).

Couch( sew on yarn with fine thread ) on the eyelash yarn- I put mine zigzagged across like tinsel. I feel sure you could hot glue this on too.

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Sew on sequins as baubles- beads would work too- whatever is to hand. Once again hot glueable I feel sure.

And repeat on the other tree.You could be clever and couch the yarn so it matches up each side to look like it is continuous...or not like me!

 I used fairly uneven running stitch round the edge because I had not had enough sleep to bother with blanket stitch! I was awake enough to remember to leave a gap for the stuffing though.

And stuff- did you see that stage coming? I think I gave it away after the previous pic!

Sew up the left-open-for-stuffing edge. Oh ,I sewed a star( sequin) at the top once it was together- this makes it easier when you are sewing round the edges.I also sewed on a loop at the top for hanging, red yarn was to hand, but ribbon or whatever you fancy/suits your colour scheme would work

DONE- easy huh? I reckon not too young kids would be able to manage this too.

Cooeeeey!

Well here I am again, because I have a new camera! OK that is out of my system, I will show you what I have been doing , through the language of pictures from my new camera( did I mention that already? lol)

 Quiche! The filling was delicious -if I say so myself- but the pastry- eurgh! I just can't get the hang of wheat free pastry .

 So my daughter put me straight as to why gingerbread man (R) is wrong...they don't have waists...I should have just asked her rather than ransacking my biscuit cutters!

 Fun little tree decoration using felt, sequins and eyelash yarn- show you more another day.

Gingerbread man decoration ,buttons felt and embroidery thread...and I did trim that wonky hand bit- just not before I took the picture!


 

Where am I?

Oh the plans! 

I have never had a problem with ideas- or motivation in general- sometimes I have an idea and it is made the same day. I have been known to "have" to make a necklace in the morning to go with the outfit I am wearing that day...and made it and wore it!

I also made a notebook/file/diary holder within 2 hours from idea to finished article( pics to follow if I ever get over the fear or technology and have a go at hubby's camera!) Well I get paperwork from 3 kids at school, Governors, Scrutiny committee, Commission related ,family and general bills etc, so I made a notebook holder( I'm never without a paper and pen-   this is just a bigger version) it also fits my diary in( things get booked up and I have a memory like a sieve), all good- loving it when a plan comes together( remember the A Team?)
 But now I am in a position where I want to earn money again. I have health issues that limit things to a certain extent, and I am not keen to miss out on too much oof my young kids' lives- they spend so little time being little. So I want to earn from my creativity- THAT'S THE PROBLEM
I have;
book and story ideas
jewellery making party ideas
school project ideas
shop supply ideas
educational resources ideas
BUT I dont know where to start

So I am trying to write the constitution for a new PTA type group in a local school that I have just volunteered to be secretary for

Hmmmmm
People often seems to be stuck creatively but they all seem to be short of creativity and I think I have too much! 
Any Ideas where to start?

Just saying...

Look to be treated by others
as you have treated others.
Publius Syrus

Finding some good quotations recently

does anyone know about copyrights on these?

Spellings

Spellings with my 8 year old have always been a bit of a chore- we start on Mondays and practice at least 3 times until the tests on Fridays.
This week they had homonyms- oh boy! So they have to understand the different meaning to be able to spell the right one. 
By Tuesday we had got him to stop spelling "Wright" for putting words on a page/ correct!
Wednesday we found that his passion for electronics was helpful for spelling " I LED you round the circuit board" LED( little electronics light) get it? ( well he did so that was the point).
 

On Thursday I was ready to quit when this happened

"Through- what can you see through the window?"( as opposed to threw a ball)

" A house" can back the answer! Hmm - advice of the day- don't try to argue logic with young lads!

p.s. "ower" is not how you spell "belonging to us"! 

Anyone else love the English language!

pps mini Amareke won't believe that scissors has a C in it 

ppps I am beginning to understand why teachers send this stuff home to do!! ha ha  

FINISHED A UFO!!

WOOHOO! I have finally finished this cushion

I might get Mr Amareke to take a picture of the finished article later. I dont think I have ever come back to such a neglected project and actually finished it...how can you hate something when you are making it, then fall in love with it once it is finished??

Hmm I think I am going to have to start another big-but-not-brain-engaging project or my hands won't know what to do...I fear my living room may end up looking like 
Olek  


Did I tell you about the battle of the living room? Mr Amareke and I get on brilliantly ( have to if you count your relationship in decades!) but when it comes to decorating, we tend to take years to agree! I like blues and greens, he likes reds and yellows...neither of us like neutrals much- see the dilemma?

So, we have 2 sofas- one "the blue sofa" and guess what ? we also have "the red sofa", and you have seen the rug ( above)
Obviously most of my crocheting has been for (my) blue sofa...but as that now has 2 blankets and 4 knitted/crocheted cushions, and the red sofa only has one knitted cushion...I think I may have to go red next!

I call them my stress blankets- did you know that repetitive movements are calming?
Stress and knitting 
I am anticipating a certain amount of stress in at least a  couple of roles I have ( being suitably vague) so I need a stress blanket
Ideally I would like a self striping/variagated acrylic yarn in reds but with no brown- any ideas?