Crafternoons/05

We are very lucky indeed to live five minutes walk from two gorgeous little parks in Bath. One of them, Sydney Gardens, was where Jane Austen used to take her morning stroll. It is pretty as a picture, with the train line and the canal running through it, zigzagged by lots of little bridges on which I regularly now stand with B to shout "Choo choo" as the trains whizz past. If we're lucky, the London Paddington drivers toot their horn at us as we wave to them, much to the delight of B. Sydney Gardens is also home of the Holburne Museum, a beautiful art gallery with a fancy cafe attached. At the weekend, the Holburne hosted a hot air balloon in their gardens so we took a teething toddler along in the evening to cheer him up and help him forget all about his poorly mouth. 

As it was a lovely mild evening, we were expecting a huge crowd to see the balloon glow in the twilight, but in fact we were practically the only people there. So we had a glass of wine and chatted to friends whilst B ran happily around the gardens mesmerised by the balloon.

Inspired by our magical evening, we decided to crack open a new palette of water colours for B and make a hot air balloon of our own. This was B's first time using this type of paint and it took him a little while to get used to washing his brush in between colours. I love the overlapping of muted tones he's put on his hot air balloon - such a pretty mix.

Again, this craft barely requires explanation, but just in case, here's what we did: I cut out a balloon and basket shape from white card and got B to decorate them with his paints. Then using washi tape and some white embroidery floss, I attached them together, adding a little loop at the top for hanging purposes. And I couldn't resist popping a little photo of B in the basket as a finishing touch. Here's a little close up of his cheeky face flying high into the sky!

Pigs and Horses

Two more cushions as gifts for friends: one who loves Babushka Dolls and one who grew up on a farm. They are married and have two children, so the colours were intended to be playful and match too.

Birthday DIY / 01

In two weeks, my baby boy turns two. Two?! How did that happen? For his birthday this year, Mr Biddle and I are crafting him three gifts which I'll share with you as and when they get finished. We decided that with a little more time on our hands than this time last year, and with him at an age where he'll happily accept handmade gifts rather than choosing branded things at the toy shop, we'd seize the opportunity. So the first of our handmade gifts is ... ta da. A recovered mini pram.

B loves to push his own pram round the park and at toddler group, he often makes a beeline for the toy pushchairs. I'd been keeping my eye out for a cheap one from a charity shop for ages, so I was delighted when I found this doll's pram in our local Oxfam for the grand sum of £2.99. And even better, I swiftly ascertained that the naff 80s fabric seat was removable and could therefore be replaced.

Using the original seat as a pattern, I created a new one from a fat quarter of some Kokka Robot fabric that I'd had sitting in my stash for yonks. For the edging, I used some ribbon I'd got for an absolute bargain in a post-Christmas sale at the White Company.

Here's how it turned out ...

I think that B will love this to push his favourite cuddly toys to the park in ... who says prams are just for little girls?!

Crafternoons/04

A little earlier in the year, we spent a handful of days at the Longleat Center Parcs with some wonderful friends from Bristol. So one new born, two toddlers, three couples and a baby bump (not mine!) piled into a woodland lodge with all the ridiculous amounts of stuff one needs to spend three nights away with a small child, and enjoyed good food, hearty strolls, and great company. B was delighted to hang out with one of his best mates C - a fantastic little fella who is a touch older than B so has been showing him the ropes to life since B was born. We got so many cute photos of the two toddlers together, that on our return home B and I created two matching storybooks all about our holiday - one for us to keep and one to post to C. Here's what we did ...

For each book, we used 8 photos (using Photobox to print out Instagram pictures). I got B to decorate two sheets of white card on both sides with paints and pens. Once dry, I printed out some little captions onto white paper, and then B helped me stick the photos and captions to the card with pritt stick. Finally, I used my sewing machine to make a line of stitches up the middle to bind the book together.

Memories in Thread

This is my little sister and I, in a camper van on the Welsh coast eating hula hoops and looking scarily similar to how little B now looks. My darling sister turned 30 in April and for her birthday, I sewed her up a very special quilt. This quilt has been 3 years in the making. It's not been a continuous effort - I had an initial frenzy of paper piecing hexagons. Then a baby and life got in the way, and I picked up my quilt making efforts with fervour earlier this year. [please forgive the photos below - they were all taken on my phone after I dropped our fancy camera and broke the focus!].

The inspiration for this quilt is fabric which I collected from our beloved Nan's house after she passed away. The white cotton covered in little pink roses was a duvet which always graced her bed - a bed that us two girls often climbed into, a place where we snuggled down in the warmth of an electric blanket and our Nan's deep love, to watch episodes of Coronation Street and to see the New Year in when our Mum was having a well deserved night out. This rose patterned fabric became to backing and edging for the quilt, as well as being scattered through the top layer.

Other plain pink fabrics from our Nan's also went into the quilt, along with the fabric my sister wore as a bridesmaid at my wedding, and a pale plain blue which was once curtains belonging to our Great-Grandparents. Mixed in to these memories in thread are a wonderful array of modern cottons.

Determined to get the quilt finished in time for her surprise party, I kept the quilt a kind of long thin strip so that it can be placed as a runner over the end of her bed. Here's B helping to flatten it out with his toy Dyson. Paper piecing an entire quilt is quite a challenge and so I'm sure I'll only ever attempt a handful of them in my life (and maybe finish the one I started for B two years ago). But my sister is a truly wonderful, talented person and so special to me. I'm so proud of her and so I poured love into every stitch and I wish her a very happy 30th birthday.

A New Bed

So the time came for B to move out of his cot. We started to get the vibe from him that he was ready to make the transition and so seized the opportunity by taking a swift trip to Ikea and buying a 'big boy bed' with him. We'd spent the week building up to this, talking to him about the change.

We went for the mini version of a bed we already have in both king and queen size - we're like the bed part of Goldilocks and the Three Bears! It's called the Minnen and was an early birthday present from my Mum and Step-dad. We chose this one, not only because it looks so lovely, but also because it is extendable so will last him ages though isn't too big for him just yet (the mattress comes with add on parts too), and the little decorative struts at the side also act a kind of guard rail to stop him rolling out.

 

Once we got the bed home, B helped to dismantle his cot and construct his new bed. He was so blooming excited when it was finally up and covered with his duvet. And whilst the first three nights found him rather scared and unsettled at bedtime, he has got used to his new sleeping situation brilliantly and it's so cute to hear his little patter of feet coming to say good morning now that he can climb in and out by himself. Here's the bed in situ (and looking more well made than it will ever be again!).

Just in case you're wondering, the owl lampshade is the Gulort Shade from Ikea and is the bargain sum of £6. The poster of the Balloon Boy is by Ingela P. Arrhenius from The Pippa and Ike Show. The Dream Big Little One cushion is by the amazing Robin and Mould. And the Alain Gree print came from the Anorak Magazine shop. The bike fabric is a Sarah Jane for Michael Miller fabric and I bought the cot bed duvet and pillow inserts from Mothercare. I think everything else has come from second hand furniture shops and flea markets, or have been amazing gifts from friends.

High Five

I was pleased as punch recently to find that both the lovely Abigail and the lovely Alexis had given me a Liebster Award. It's liking having a virtual high five from another corner of the internet. The idea is to answer some questions posed by Abigail and Alexis, then pass the award on to some blogs I love with new questions for them. There's something wonderfully retro about all this, reminding me of the innocent days of writing to pen friends.

If you haven't checked out the blogs belonging to Alexis and Abigail, I'd really recommend them. I've been totally charmed by the cuteness of their children Theo, Henry and Coco, and all their adventures in life. I also loving stealing lots of tips of places to check out in our area thanks to Abigail. So thanks for the blog love ladies x

To begin with, here are my answers to their questions. As there were 11 from each of them, I thought you might get a bit bored by answer number 21 so I've chosen my favourite ones ...

1. What family traditions do you have/want to carry on with your own family?
Growing up, I wouldn't say we had that many traditions as my Mum was pretty laid back, but the ones that spring to mind which I'll definitely keep for my own family are daft ones to do with Christmas - getting to eat crisps all day long on Christmas day (especially cheese tasters from M&S) and getting to open one present before bed on Christmas eve which were always new PJs. I'd like to start making B a personalised advent calendar once he understands Christmas a little more.

2. Favourite colour?
On the walls - green. On myself - I can't stop buying cream tops and navy dresses.

3. Describe your perfect weekend?
Being freelance, we don't really have 'weekends' in the normal sense. But a perfect day off would be waking on a Sunday to find it warm and sunny, eating a leisurely breakfast of pancakes with fruit and yoghurt whilst flicking through the Observer, jumping in the car and heading to the Shepton Mallet Flea Market where we'd eat greasy burgers from a van and pick up some bargains which we'd have to squish into the car by B's car seat. Then heading home to potter in the garden or the local park whilst a roast cooks in the oven. Putting B to bed and snuggling on the sofa watching Mad Men with a bit of dairy milk which has been kept cold in the fridge.

4. Camping or Boutique Hotel? 
Somewhere in the middle. Hotels make me feel a bit uncomfortable for the most part as I don't like being waited on. But also camping can be hideous if the weather is bad. I'm a self catering gal.

5. Have you done any good projects recently? 
I've been in a cushion making frenzy as they are one of my favourite things to sew - I'll get round to sharing a tutorial one day. But my favourite recent big project was finally recovering the Parker Knoll armchair that we bought for £25. from the Shepton Flea (which is on this Sunday btw).

6. Why did you decide to start a blog?
For a while I had two blogs on the go. The first was started to document my sewing output and my bargain second hand finds, then this blog was started as a reaction to the fact that I was expecting a boy and seeing so much hideous 'boys' stuff for sale in the world, I felt I needed to share the decent little boys things I found. Of course blogging is such a personal thing and takes on a bit of a life of its own so I recently merged the two.

7.What's your guilty pleasure?
Ikea. Love that place. I'd happily go every week. Sometimes I take B as a 'Rainy Day treat'!

8. If you could go anywhere in the world, for an unlimited amount of time, where would you go and how long would you go for?
We'd fly to New York then do a huge road/rail trip across America, taking the train down to New Orleans then hiring a Winnebago or Air Stream to drive us here, there and everywhere. It would last a good few months.

9. What's the best thing to do within a few minutes of your home?
I live 15 minutes walk from the very centre of Bath so we are over run with brilliant things to do nearby. But our favourites are pottering around our local parks (Henrietta Park and Sydney Gardens), walking along the canal, visiting the animals at Bath City Farm and seeing plays at The Egg Children's Theatre.

10. What's the one trait you would encourage most in your child?
Independence; being true to himself and to what will make him happy.

11. Favourite drink?
Non-Alcoholic - Fentimans do this amazing Rose Lemonade which isn't sold that widely but I was addicted to it whilst pregnant. Alcoholic - Give me a crisp dry white and I'm happy. Hot - coffee.

Next, I pass the blog love onto some of my favourite blogs. So I pass this on to:

On the First Day of Marriage
Little Sleep
Little Buckles
Cirque du Bebe
The Making Home

As it's late and I've run out of inspiration for the day, I'm going to pass the same questions from above onto these lovely ladies if they'd like to play along.

Blog love to all. Mrs B x