Another wee waldorf at 6 inches, she is in the Etsy shop now.
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Pondering….
I’ve been doing a great deal of pondering lately, as I often do towards the end of a pregnancy, knowing many changes (and a lot more hard work!) are ahead. The main thing that has been bothering me is the fact that for 9 years (since my first child was born) I’ve tried to find work that I can do from home to contribute to our income. We have enough to get by but we want to move back to the country while the children are still young and for that we need more income. I also dislike being dependent on the government for income support, particularly as our family grows larger.
I’ve tried a myriad of things to earn money from home and nothing seems to work, I end up losing money. Ideally I would like to be paid for a skill I already have but have not found any demand. I’ve even placed ads in the paper to do ironing (I hate ironing!) but received no response, so I often feel that I’m at a dead end. I have made very little money from making dolls and put in many many hours for little reward, my sales seem to have dried up too.
So what to do?
Well, next month I’m hoping to apply for a study grant and undertake a diploma in graphic design, which would be learning new skills but also using the creative skills I already have. I’d be doing this with hope that I could then work from home. I have no idea if this would work out and whether I would get any work, but I feel that I have to try something. I was always financially independent before I had children and find it brings me great satisfaction when I can contribute.
Sorry about the ramble, I guess it helps to share what’s on your mind occasionally š
Fly agaric fairy
Its not very often I take out my watercolour pencils these days, as I usually have to contend with little fingers messing around with what I’m trying to do….. tonight I had an hour to myself and did this somewhat pensive fairy. I was inspired by visiting Ayelet’s blog some time ago to take out my pencils again, although the mushroom / toadstool thing is a coincidence as I sketched a rough picture ages ago.
Look what I won!
The winner of the giveaway is…..
Deliciousdesignz!
Got some sewing done today :)
A new cushion for the Madeit shop.
Free embroidery design and tute!
This design can be done entirely in stem stitch, so its easy for beginners. Just ensure when you’re going around tight curves to vary your stitch length to very small.
Use whatever fabric you like, I used homespun just because I like it.
Before you start stitching, shade in the areas you want coloured with a coloured pencil or I used my watercolour pencils. You can see in the picture below the areas I’ve shaded. You can always shade more when you’re done stitching, but go lightly to begin with and layer it. Back your fabric with fusible Pellon before you start stitching.
Stem stitch around the mushroom top and spots in red. Do the same around all the outlines, using my pictures as a guide. You can be adventurous with your colours.
Continue outline stitching and don’t forget the details on the butterfly’s body and wings.
Here is my finished stitchery, I did some extra pencil shading when I finished stitching (blue for the sky, green and brown for the ground. I then sewed on a fabric border, backed it with some wadding and put it in a frame without the back on.
Getting ready for a little one
I finished knitting up this little hat for the impending arrival lastnight, it turned out beautifully and increased my knitting confidence substantially. Its supposed to be in gender neutral colours, as we don’t know the sex of the baby, but I think it looks a little boyish. We shall see….
Today I got a parcel of exciting fabric from the Crafty Mamas Shop.
I’ll be making pants and a top for one of the girls (the tomboy!) so I have another weekend project to add to the list.
The giveaway is still on, but not for long!
New cushion
I just love these Tanya Whelan fabrics, so pretty and feminine yet striking. I’m going to make a bunch like this when I overhall our bedding. This one is in my Madeit store now.
Don’t forget the spotty tote giveaway ends this weekend.
Hope you have a terrific day!
I love Autumn!
The little african violets that frazzle and seemingly die over summer have once again returned with their lush growth and vibrant purple flowers. I’ve spent the morning outdoors raking up the chookyard and laying down fresh straw. We had rain (hooray!) yesterday and lastnight, so the garden is a welcome sight this morning. I had to tell the boy to leave his bookwork and come out into the sun before it disappeared. He willingly obliged and is still out there now. Husband will be pleased to see a wheelbarrow load of compost fodder when he gets home from work.