Friday Create Along

Here are some reveals.

Wipe container letters and numbers? Ta da!

Lavender sachets? Ta da!

Crocheted slippers? . . . pass for now.

Up next this cute little phone pouch pattern available from Nap Kitten. I assure you this pattern is much easier than her wallet, ailment which kicked off this Create Along adventure.

Caution: Happy mail may cause happiness.

My package from Brianna arrived the other day.

Such lovely stuff! There were many exclamations of happiness while I unpacked everything! Here’s what I sent her way. I’ll be organizing one of these again for sure.

Really? February?! Wow

I keep thinking this each month lately but honestly, time just seems to be flying by!

So welcome February 2012 and I just wanted to take a moment to point out the lovely sponsors I have over there to the right. Obsessive Compulsive Me, The Perfect Pear, Life in a Lens, This Time Around and Bartering Blogger.

Don’t forget the giveaway is still on until the end of the week!

Organization help

A while back Keyka Lou posted about her little red cart, which is ridiculously fabulous. It’s from ULine and is a bit pricey but looks totally durable and the colour is pretty rockin.

The other day I discovered you can get the IKEA catalogue for your iPad and so I was all over that. While flipping through it I saw this little gem and thought of the little red cart right away.

If I had my own room for crafting I think I’d be all over this, but as it is I’m sort of squished for space. But for only $30 it’s not a bad deal. If you planned on using it for heavy duty stuff I’d recommend ULine, IKEA is nice and all but often it can’t take a beating well.

Barnicles post and Giveaway!

Hi I’m Barny, or Barnicles :)

I LOVE creating, its like milk to my coffee, and I like sharing.
My blog is a work in progress, following exploration and adventures. Photography, needlepoint, sewing, knitting and more. I love colour, but have slowly started to appreciate duller tones, perhaps when it comes to legwarmers.

My goal for 2012 is to organise more, create more, and upload photos from my dlsr to the internet to share within a month of taking them :)

Check out my blog, pinterest, or shop.

Giveaway – Yellow Bow hair clip (shown below in photo).

To enter just check out the Barnicles shop and tell us your favourite item in the comments below.

– For a second entry become a follower of Barnicles Blog and post here saying that you did :)

– Please leave one comment per entry and maximum of 2 entries.

– Giveaway is open for a week until Friday February 3rd.

Barnicles x

Friday Create Along, well sort of.

Okie so here’s a post that probably falls under the ‘bad blog etiquette’ category, but oh well. I’m not done yet. Along with report cards and just a plain busy week I also have the lame excuse of devoting oodles of time to a M.I.A. Create Along project. Remember these slippers? Well I’m not a crocheter but I thought ‘how hard can they be?’. Turns out pretty stinking hard when you’re not really a crocheter!

Here’s how far I was on those slippers by Sunday night.

Yeah, over a month after ‘assigning’ them as a project! Monday I managed to get a 3rd sole done. Yeah a 3rd! These lovely things need 4 soles so they’re all soft and squishy for your feet. Trust me I debated leaving it at only 2 but I figured if I was working this hard on these things I was going to make darn sure I’d be wearing them until they fell off my feet in tatters!

I’ve spent about 12 hours on them so far. 12 hours painstakingly counting and redoing = 3 soles. *sigh*

Onto last weeks assignment. Today I got together with a friend and cut out 36 pieces to make the alphabet A-Z and some for numerals 1-10. 36 8 x 8 pieces and 36 5 x 5 pieces are ready to go. Sadly they aren’t assembled yet.

Allow me to forge ahead and add on a project for this week (it appears I’ve got some sewing to do this weekend!). I ordered some vintage hankies yesterday while browsing around Etsy and some were from this shop. She sent me the link to her very new blog but I love this sachet tutorial. I’ve got a pile of lavender left over from my eye pillow project and this will be a great way to use them up. Plus they’ll make nice little gifts for some lovely ladies and they’ll use fun scrap bits too!

Checking your Etsy activity feed? Danger! Danger!

I swear every time I look over to the left hand corner of my Etsy page and see that number and decide to click on the activity feed I end up swooning, favouriting, loving or buying some item. Today I clicked on it and found this fun shop. It was Janee’s fault (it often is, I swear she lives to fave items!). The shop is called Octopurse, I mean how great is that!?

Not only are the fabrics and purse frames great but she seems to be a wonder at fabric placement. I sew with scraps or pieces from swaps a lot so I’m usually trying to make the most of the piece. Making magnets I’m saving the smallest pieces possible. The purses are super cute and the placement of the design is just fantastic. Click the images to be whisked away to the listings.

This one just kills me it’s so awesome.

And the other side.

I can make really cute coin purses too. Just sayin’

I won!

I’m still a tad in shock. I’m not one for running all over and entering giveaways, unless it’s something I really like. Sometimes I’m just so behind in my RSS I miss the fun all together. Well this time, let me tell you, I’m super glad I went and entered because I won!!!

What did I win you may be asking . . . I can barely bring my self to type it I’m so thrilled, an embroidery hoop masterpiece from Lucky Jackson!!!!!

And I get an email saying go to the shop and pick one. Pick one. Seriously, how!?

Lookit these things? They’re fantastic.

People wonder how I have time to create so many things, I’m following patterns, or making 10 at a time, or spending 1 day madly crafting and not touching it again for a week. This lady makes one of these things every single day. I’m amazed. And then she says “how weird is it you won and I’m a fan of your blog?!” I love the handmade community.

You can see the works so far here in this Flickr pool.

I’ve been making hexies.

Like a lot.

They’re ridiculously addictive.

I was inspired by Rachel’s hexie kit I stumbled upon while Googling hexies and sort of put one of my own together. I thought I had a punch but it appears I have every shape but a hexagon, it figures.

The pouch houses all my hexie worthy scraps, scissors, thread and the paper pieces. Then I keep my other scissors (why two? who knows) in the other container and plunk the finished hexies in there. I had a bunch that I’ve already sewn together but they’ve already moved down to my production area (aka corner of the basement).

Please, meet some lovely ladies.

Here’s a little bit about this month’s sponsors, I also asked everyone what they were pumped about for 2012.

Meet Vanessa!

I share a bit of everything on my blog. . .sewing tutorials, photo tips, digital freebies, pattern reviews, giveaways, etc. I’ve also got my etsy shop, {lbg studio}, where I sell stuff like camera strap covers, accessories, and sewing patterns.

My biggest goal for this year….to publish more sewing patterns! It’s a lot of work but pretty rewarding when it’s all said and done. I also want to continue working on my photography skills because I just can’t seem to put my camera down and continue to work on improving the ol’ blog.

Check out the shop and her boards on Pinterest.

Here’s Brianna!

The One Year Lease is a repository for the things that inspire me and bring me joy in life- art, photography, crafts, food, and, most of all, my family. Life is full of incredible moments. I hope to capture as many of them as possible.

Last year was such an amazing year with our daughter finally joining our family that I can’t imagine 2012 will be able to hold a candle. Still, with so many possibilities in the world, I am looking forward to finding adventure with our little family in the year to come.

Say hello to Katrina!

My name is Katrina Nixon a born & bred Londoner who as described in the words of my fiance a super hyper eccentric, fabulous vintage loving dudette!!! I would have to add who LOVES dresses & fashion in general, sewing, Tea and Cake :) My little blog is all about sharing the things I love with like minded people.
I started my blog in May 2011 as a way of sharing things I like & talking about things I love which of course includes fashion, high street & Vintage. I also love sewing and once I have completed my dissertation in May 2012; I definitely will be posting more projects.
I have met some amazing people though it, I love the community online, everyone is really nice. I have some up coming projects which I am working on with a fellow blogger, I can’t wait to share as soon as details are confirmed.
The event I am looking forward to the most is 2012 is my wedding :)!!! YAY!!!
The venue is booked, the dress is purchased… now all I need is a Fiance :) ….only kidding I am marrying my best friend and boyfriend of 7years Roberto. So excited!

Check out her blog.

And Janee once again!

Yellow Bird + Yellow Beard is a place where I post my work and inspiration. It’s a creative outlet to keep me going. I hope you’ll come join me!

I’m looking forward to moving in June! Not sure where to yet though… EEE!

Check out her shop, Twitter and Facebook.

And of course it would be awesome to share some corner of my blog with you too! If you’re interested head over here for details.