The gift of the gift tag

I'm loving making cards. These martial arts gift tags are the outcome of my latest adventure with spray glue. Only problem is: can you give gift tags as a gift?

Tea towel project #1

This tea towel was a gift and too nice to use to dry dishes. Immediately on receiving it I decided it would make a great apron. Three years later ...

This is such a quick and easy project as the tea towel is already hemmed. Using an old apron as a template, I simply cut the top corners diagonally to form a bib, hemmed the cut edges and attached the ties that I made from calico.

However, unless you're really tiny you do need a larger than average tea towel. This one was a generous 53cm x 72cm from the Edward and Son artists' fair - on again this year on Saturday, December 11.

A little boy needs a warm sweater for a cold English winter.

I just finished knitting this chunky sweater for my nephew's baby son. It's been a while in the making but I'm pleased with the result. I love knitting cable patterns. It's a bit like magic how they turn out.
The pattern is from an old knitting book by Shepherd yarns and I used a machine washable wool.

Treasures from the library book sale

Our library has a book sale twice a year and there are indeed treasures to be found. With Xmas coming up, I was looking specifically for books with images I could use to make cards and gift tags.

The cards I made are quite small (11.5 cm x 7 cm) but I had some old tracing paper see-through envelopes that were the perfect size to match. Once I decided how I wanted the cards to look, they were quite easy to make - cut out picture, glue onto card, trim and round the corners.

• I recently bought a corner punch so the cards had to have rounded corners.

• I also used aerosol spray glue for the first time and it is the best thing ever.

I think I'll keep some of the cards for myself and gift some as notecard sets.


These pages are from 'Wild flowers of Britain' - also from the library book sale - but I can't bring myself to cut the pages. The photographs are just too fascinating and too beautiful.

Not that 'Looking after cage birds' isn't also a nice book ...

Happy Movember!

Sadly the drips are lingering in the developmental phase - forever. I still have a few design issues to sort out.
But, because it's November, and I love this guy's moustache, I'm going to share one of my experiments with you. Enjoy Movember.

Pink

Pink food,

pink champagne,

pink blossoms!

We had our own little hanami last weekend under our blossom trees. They are in full bloom - laden with pink blossoms - and looking beautiful and amazingly like a magic garden.

Things that lurk

Freesias

Kowhai

Cherry blossom

Although the weather is still a bit wintry, it feels as if spring is lurking. Blossoms and other spring flowers are out.

And we have (what I assume is) an escaped pet rabbit lurking in our street. He is so cute. Every now and then you see him hopping across the road or grazing in a neighbour's garden. Someone must've taken pity on him as I got a "rabbit found" notice complete with photo in my mail box. But he remains unclaimed. Or, at least, uncaptured. I think, in spite of any danger from cars or dogs, he's having the time of his life.

I'm afraid this photo is not of The Actual Rabbit.
But he looks a lot like this. Whenever I see him I never have my camera.

And I'm delighted to report that several of my slugs are now clinging to good fridges since a few blog lurkers made themselves know. It feels good to share my stuff. Thanks!