Ode to Pinterest

So lately I have become completely addicted to Pinterest...It's 11pm on a friday night and I'm buried so deep in the world of boards about how to make simple clothes for your toddler and mobiles for nurseries that the only way to get out of it was to blog about how much I'm obsessed with it!

My eyes are going squiggly and I need to go to bed!

Not only are there not enough hours in the day to make all these things but who has the energy to make tutorials about them? I LOVE THESE PEOPLE.

If I knew more about blogging I'd link to my favourite tutorials but I'm unsure what I'm allowed to link to :-/

Enough rambling, I really do need to go to bed.

Nap time

One of the hardest decisions I have to make on days when I'm home with my littl'un is this: how to spend her nap time? Housework, bluebird work or cup of tea and relax?
Today I managed all three! Thank you Gracie for having a nice long nap :-)
We spent a lovely sunny morning pottering around the charity shops in Sidmouth and had lunch in Costa (they make a decent flat white in the Sidmouth branch). Maybe the sea air tired her out cos she's still snoozing now!
I've been using this snooze time to try to take some decent photos of my stock to list on Folksy and Etsy. I hate having empty shops but I really struggle with the photography side of things. Today is the first day that any natural daylight has found it's way into the house - it's been so dreary lately :-(
Anyway, here are a few pics to give you an idea of what should be up for grabs soon. Just have to write the descriptions now...cup of tea and a sit down first though...ooh I found Celebrity Apprentice on iplayer...so easily distracted!
















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Lou Week

This week - if all goes to plan - is going to be immense and I will be a happier, calmer person with a huge sense of achievement.

That's the plan!

I've taken the week off work and my toddler, Gracie, is still going to nursery 3 days and I am going to really strive to get a much made as is physically possible while occasionally popping out for coffee and charity shop raiding (which is all part of the process, I assure you).

So day 1 and Gracie slept late so I'm already an hour behind but well rested. Dropped her off at nursery and headed for Topsham. This is the coffee and charity shops bit!
But the most important job right now is list-making. I cannot function as a human being, let alone run my business, without multiple lists on the go, and if I hope to achieve anything this week I'll need a couple of lists to set me in the right direction.

So, I'll just finish my list and my coffee as it's nearly 10am and that's when the charity shops should be opening....


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Week over

Well that week went quickly! Isn't it amazing how when you're doing something you love time goes so much faster than when you're data processing in an office?!
As predicted I didn't get nearly as much made as I wanted. I did get some sock kitties finished for my next craft fair. It's really important to have supplies of these as people seem to really like them and they're the product I'm known for. They just take so long to make!



The exciting part of the week was designing a new product - the Blue Bunny. I just can't help but make bunnies and I'm particularly pleased with these. I only have one finished at the moment but I'm going to focus my efforts on them and hope to make lots. As a happy side-effect of this plan it means a trip to ikea to buy more blankets to make them. Hooray!!



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Spring

The sun has come out and I'm really excited about spring. I'm so up for cotton maxi dresses, little denim jackets and walks in the sunshine with the buggy! Gracie is nearly 5 months now and has graduated from the pram into a proper buggy seat. I can't believe she's growing up so quickly!



She's such a little star as she's been letting me get on with making things for orders and craft fairs. I've started a new baby range since Gracie arrived. It's fab having someone to test all my products on and I think she appreciates her new toys! I've made crinkle ribbon taggies, little squeaky bunnies and just this week finished some crinkly wing butterflies. Have a look...






There's so much going on in the crafting world this year so far I'm going to see if I can add a calendar of events on here to keep you updated. It has been such a great year already and I've made fantastic new connections, the best of which has to be getting involved with the Hub On The Green in Exeter. A wonderful little community hub of activity and friendliness. Check out their blog at www.hubonthegreen.blogspot.co.uk or pop in and see Joey for coffee weekday lunchtimes (except Thursdays).

Ooh, Gracie is trying to get my attention and it's about time we went and woke up Daddy!

Back soon x

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Location:Honiton

Here we go!

First day on my own with our new baby today. All the family, friends and well-wishers have dissipated and my other half is at work so it's just the two of us.
I plan to take it easy and not try anything too ambitious. I do have a couple of sock animal commissions to get on with though...Maybe while she's sleeping...



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Location:Sycamore Close,Honiton,United Kingdom

Babies etc

Well, much has happened since I last blogged! Or rather one major thing...on 3rd November our little girl Gracie was born :-)
Life has changed somewhat. Physically I had a little bit of a tough time but I'm almost back to full strength again now so running around after the littl'un is getting easier, which I'm sure she appreciates!


As she was 2 weeks overdue I had plenty of time for making things and when she was just 7 days old we had a little stall at the Upottery Primary School shopping evening. I lost count of the number of ladies who said "She's one week old? What are you doing here?!? You should be at home with your feet up!" But actually it was really good to get out of the house and feel a bit more human.
Then yesterday, the three of us took our first walk in the pram up to Tesco (unimpressed - tears followed) and then the pub on the way back (approval - good girl!). It was an eventful day all in all.


So to sum up, Gracie is amazing and I'm hoping fit my crafting in around her as we get a more established routine :-)


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Location:Honiton,United Kingdom

Bump n stuff

I decided this week that I would assign myself 'admin days' to make sure I keep up to date with my accounts, my online shops and my blog, so here I am! Let's see how long it lasts...
Well I've been up to quite a lot. Trying to find baby stuff I can organise and actually managed to book myself into pregnancy yoga classes in Ottery. Really looking forward to that. Yoga is the best thing ever for feeling chilled out, stretched out and toned. The bump is coming along nicely too...



Also dug out Kanga, who I was given on my second birthday. She survived a cycle in the washing machine so she's ready to be passed down to baby now. I do feel like I should make her a Roo to go in her pouch though...



The other main thing I've been up to this week is trying to work out wedding reception venues and tipis. As it turns out that's a bit stressful so I'm roping family in to help. Can't wait until the big things are done and I can concentrate on the crafty bits like making pom pom bunting and designing invitations. I bought the new issue of Mollie Makes today (my new favourite magazine) and there are some really lovely country chic wedding ideas. Now I want to print the invites on vintage hankies!


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Location:Home

I really need more admin days!

Today I'm feeling bad about not updating my Folksy shop, my website or my blog enough. I'm sure many bloggers feel the same. I have loads to say but never seem to find the time to sit down and say it.

So, an update then...well...I'm having a baby and getting married! How's that for an update?!?

Baby is due in October and we can't wait. It gives me the opportunity right now to do two of my very favourite things: buy stuff and make stuff! I'm knitting some clothes and a mobile for the nursery but I haven't finished a single thing yet and I have a horrible feeling the time is going to slip by rather quickly. Ah well, I can keep knitting once baby is here so it's all good!

And a wedding! Next August (fingers crossed). Trying to find a reception venue in or near Honiton at the moment which is proving rather tricky. All ideas welcome! We're looking for open space in which to put up a teepee or yurt but ideally next to a building with loos and a bar!

That'll have to be it for the moment as I'm simultaneously adding tomy website. Check it out for new items for sale here:

www.bluebirdbylou.co.uk

and also see new stuff on Folksy here:

www.folksy.com/shops/bluebird

and here are a couple of pics of what I've been up to...

Sock dinosaurs!
Sock croc!
baby bump!
Engaged!
The night we go engaged on holiday in Rhodes

CraftHub fair tomorrow - bring your mum!

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Location:Topsham

Missing in action

It's been absolutely ages since I last posted and I've been so busy trying to develop my 'bluebird by lou' business. I've been doing craft fairs, opening new online shops, making commissions for Christmas presents and working on my branding as well as expanding my range. Not much then!

Highlights include making over a hundred pounds for the first time at a craft fair at the Craft Hub's Twinkling Firs fair in Topsham, Devon. I learned some lessons that day. Lesson one: don't spend money buying loads of components to make Xmas baubles. I had about 40 clear plastic baubles, some with jelly bean filling, some with glitter and paper flowers and some (that I was really proud of) with little plastic robins on glittery twigs and I sold a grand total of.........one. Oh well, chalk it up to experience!
Lesson two: always try to take a helper to a craft fair. I needed the loo for about 2 hours before I could nip away from my stall!

Another highlight is just a little thing but I'm so pleased I got around to organising some fabric labels to sew onto my items. All my sock kitties are getting bluebird by lou labels stitched onto their bums! I got them
from a lovely lady called Jennifer Wendorf at Jennifer's Jewels on etsy and I'm thrilled with them :-)



Erm...what else? Oh, my boyfriend and I added to our family with another little furry kitty monster. He's now 4 1/2 months old and he' called Conan The Barbaricat! He's the biggest attention seeker. So full of love for everyone including our first cat Ana (full title Anakitten Skywalker) and the race around the house biting each other, which is just lovely! They have to be banished to the kitchen at night though as they think breakfast should be served at about 4am and will purr in your ear and sit on your head until you give in!


I've also started making little sock owls in the last few weeks and they've been really popular so far! Maybe I should have called my company the owl and the pussycat...

Provisionally booked some fairs for the year too. I told you I'd been busy! I have 5 dates confirmed at Exmouth Pavillions, the first one is march 27th. Tell all your friends!!

Now I must give my full attention to DIY SOS......xxx


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Location:At home with the boyfriend out

Excuses excuses...

So I've been neglecting my blog of late but in my defence I did nip off to China and Malaysia for half of October!!! I hadn't seen my Dad for about 4 years and I decided it was time for a visit and an introduction to my boyfriend. Dad moved out to Chengdu (where pandas come from) in 2006, which makes family visits a tad tricky and costly but so worth it...

So boyfriend and I spent a week hanging out with my Dad and Stepmum Xiuling, who is charmingly nutty. We ate food which was way too spicy and took hundreds of photos. I'll more when I'm on my laptop (using boyfriend's MacBook right now cos its hard disk isn't as clogged as mine so it goes significantly faster).

***

After China we hopped across to beautiful Langkawi Island off the north west coast of Malaysia for a bit of R & R. Didn't get much of that though - we got a bit carried away with all the wacky activities on the island. Day 1: Aquarium and shopping in the backpacker beach town Pantai Cenang. Here we saw the biggest fish in the world (not the one in the picture though that one was mahoosive!) and found the Yellow Cafe. The staff there were a breath of fresh air after the stuffy uptight guys in our resort on the posh side of the island. And the beer was significantly cheaper!

We discovered a wonderful Malaysian dish called Rendang. Warmly spiced with chilli and ginger, we've tried twice at home to recreate it!

This chap we found in the aquarium. He was about five feet long and looked really grumpy!!

A beautiful sunset on our resort's private beach on our first night. Holiday's are lush!

Easy Peasy Headband Tutorial

Ok, so I've noticed that other people often use their blogs to give back in the way of doing a tutorial. I thought it would be nice to do the same. This is a super easy project that you can complete in just a couple of hours and at the end of it you have something new to wear - yey! I'm proudly wearing the one I made last night for the tutorial photos :)

This is the first time I've written a tutorial so please let me know if I've missed a crucial step or my instructions aren't clear. So here goes...

"How to make an easy peasy knitted headband with crochet flower embellishment" 

by lou bluebird

Ok, here's what you need:

1. around 50g of yarn. Any kind, it doesn't matter as long as it has some stretch or it'll fall off your head all the time!

2. a small amount of a complementary yarn. This is for your flower embellishment.

3. size 4mm knitting needles

4. crochet hook (I think mine is 4mm but it doesn't really matter, you'll just have a slightly bigger or smaller flower)

5. embroidery needle

Step One - Making the band (wasn't that a tv show?)

First, cast on 8 stitches and knit two rows. It should look like this:

Keep knitting every row until the band goes around your head (forehead to nape of neck), stretching it a little so it'll have a bit of purchase when it's on. Mine measures about 60cm when stretched. Just keeping checking it against your head as you go.

Once you've knitted the desired length, cast off your stitches and cut the yarn. Be sure to leave a length of around 20cm for sewing together, like this:

Hold the two ends flush together and use a simple blanket stitch to join them. Neaten by using the embroidery needle to pull your loose ends through the join and snipping off. It should now look like this:

Now just turn it the right why out...

That's your band finished! Told you it was easy.

Step Two - Making the flower

To begin, make a slipknot, leaving about a 10cm tail,  and then make 3 chains:

Next, insert the crochet hook into the first chain and make a slip stitch, forming a small circle.

Chain 1. Make 5 treble crochets into the centre of the circle. It can be a bit tricky to find the centre so you might need to pull the stitches out a little to get in there. 

Once you have made all your trebles, insert the hook into the first stitch and make a slip stitch to join the circle:

To make one petal:

• Chain 2
• Make 2 treble crochets into same stitch
• Chain 2
• Make a slip stitch into next hole
  

You now have one petal, like this:

Repeat these steps to make 5 petals. Cut the yarn, leaving a 10 cm tail and pull the last stitch tight.

Use the embroidery needles to pull the tail through to the back of your flower. You should now have 2 lengths of yarn coming from the middle.

Step 3 - Putting it all together

Position the flower on the top side (right side) of the band where you want it to sit. I like mine slightly off centre. Pull the tails through to the back of the band using the crochet hook and tie tightly in a knot. Snip off the excess yarn but be careful not to cut too close to the knot or it might come undone.

Turn it back out the right way and that's it, you've finished! Now wear your headband with pride! 

Now you've made one, you can experiment with be different colour combinations, maybe add more flowers or some buttons. It's up to you to make it your own. 

Enjoy :)

pictures ahoy!!

Ok, prepare for lots of pictures now i have painstakingly emailed them from my blackberry (because I can't find the cable that connects my phone to my laptop!).

Firstly, a kitty update...Ana is doing great. She started being a bit naughty, bitey and distant last week but she's now reverted back to cute sleepy lovely kitten. Here she is sunbathing on my new vintage 60s cushion cover!

Ok, what's next? My garden! The veg patch is really coming along. We've got some kohl rabi in that has just gone crazy. I love it for the purple and green! My sunflowers have had to be moved to save them from the dreaded ants that seek to destroy...

And of course I've been making stuff. I've been very unfocussed of late. Can't decide whether I'm making sock buddies, plushies, cushion covers, pillowcase dresses, bags or what!! So I made all of them. It's making it very difficult to pin down a tag line to get some business cards printed. I'm thinking about "Handmade new and recycled fabric gifts, accessories & whatnot". Anyway, here's the rest of the photos...