Dressing Dolls

A while ago my niece gave Little L all her Barbies and furniture that she had when she was little. This was kept in my mums loft for years until Little L was old enough to play with them but she has only started to take interest recently so this week I've started making some items for them.

First I set to detangling the dolls hair. They looked like they had been in a fight before I started. I brushed out as many of the knots as I could, losing quite a bit of hair along the way. Then I wet the hair with very hot water (almost boiling), smoothed some hair conditioner through it then rinsed with the hot water again. After another brush through they were left to dry overnight. My Mum was really inpressed with the results because they looked like they were destined for the bin beforehand. I've done 5 now and still have about the same amount to tidy up.

I made this underwear set using stretch lace. Very fiddly to sew on my machine and might have been just as quick to do by hand.

These very simple skirts were made using a rectangle piece of fabric which was gathered along one long edge and hemmed at the other. The waist band was made by folding over a length of wide ribbon then sewing it on. They fasten at the back by tying the ribbon in a bow.

This crocheted blanket with sleeves ( I don't know if they have a special name ) was made using this pattern

and new bedding was made for the bed.

After going for tea at her Grans this week Little L came back with these fabrics. They were left over from some things that my Mum had made. At first Little L asked if I could make her some socks with the skull fabric but because this isn't possible has settled on some pj bottoms. The vehicle print fabric she brought home so I could make her some clothes for her baby doll George. Looks like some of my next week is planned out.

A Forest Walk

This afternoon we decided to take advantage of the surprisingly mild weather and take Little L for a walk in Delamere Forest. She prefers this much more than going to the local playground.

There was plenty of den hunting, tree climbing, leave collecting and general exploring going on. 

We must have spied at least eight different kinds of fungi. I don't have a clue what any of them are though.

I don't think the weather will be lasting like this for much longer so I think we are going to try and fit in a last trip to the beach before it gets becomes too cold.

Summer Sewing

I thought I'd share with you what I have been up to craft wise over the Summer holidays. 

I made four of these bags. Two were made using the same fabric as posted here and two using retro bedding and fabric left over from an old school project of my nephews.

This two handled pillow case bag 

and a new peg bag made using oil cloth left from lining some shelves.

Some bunny brooches using some fabric scraps. The one facing the opposite direction from the others is Little L's, she thinks it looks better that way. I used a free pattern from Vivid Please to make these.   

Two foxes both made with fabric from my brother in laws shirts. The tutorial can be found on the See Kate Sew blog.

I finally got around to making a cover for my tablet (its only taken me almost two years to get around to making one)

Using two pairs of flannelette pj's which Little L had outgrown I made this rag quilt pillow.  She loves it because it is so squishy but it does drop lots of loose threads due to all the snipping along the edges. I think it will be fine once it has been through the washer though. I'd never used this technique before. The tutorial that I used can be found here.
Nothing was bought to make any of these things but I don't seem to have created any extra space. My crafty stuff must simply multiply when I'm sleeping ( that's what I'm sticking to anyway )

Another Bird Rescue

Earlier this evening Little L came in to the house and told us that she had seen a little bird go in to the chicken coop and not come back out. We went to investigate and found a young blackbird with a damaged wing. It looked as though it may have been attacked by a cat. The wing looked bent at an odd angle and quite a lot of the feathers were missing. We placed it in to a box then took it to our local vet. Hopefully they can send it on the road to recovery.

My Birthday Day Out

Today I turned 43 and the plan for my birthday was a trip to the seaside. Everything was sorted out ready last night and put in to the boot of the car but when we got up this morning it looked as though we were in for a day of rain. I checked the weather forecast for where we were heading and it had given rain there too. We wanted to go somewhere with some shelter from the weather and we decided on Monkey Forest thinking that the trees would keep us relatively dry. Plus it was somewhere we had never been before and it got Little L's vote.

Monkey Forest is home to Barbary macaque monkeys which roam freely through woodland. There were information boards dotted throughout as well as guides all along the pathways ready to explain why the monkeys were acting a certain way and to answer any questions.

At the moment they have seven babies which were drawing a lot of attention. We were told not to get too close to these because if the mother felt threatened the male boss monkey in the group would jump to their defense.

A group which acted like a gang of unruly teenagers also drew a crowd with their tree swinging and play fighting antics.

Even though it was quite busy it wasn't overcrowded and there was no jostling for a spot to see a monkey. The admission price wasn't bad either especially when I've compared it to other places to visit as a family. We would certainly go again.

On the way home we nipped into Dagfields which is an antiques and craft centre. I've been coming here for years when it was nowhere near the size it is now and you could pet piglets and lambs in a barn. Now this was a bit of a gamble where Little L was concerned as she had never been anywhere like this before, she would either love it or hate it. We knew Caleb would like it because he has been into vintage shops with us before and loves them. 

Little L fell in love with everything from the minute she walked into the place from horse brasses to bundles of Brooke Bond tea cards. This kid had 2 whole pounds burning a hole in her pocket. All I heard from her was .. wow .. woah .. look at this ..

and this was one of her 'look what I just found ' moments.

Caleb couldn't stop laughing at the style of old house telephones but he was drawn to carnival glass which he says is 'well cool' and old kitchen utensils of all things. Both Caleb and myself were in our element looking at all the old cameras ( I love old analogue cameras ) Typewriters were a magnet to them both.

We didn't buy anything but Little L came away with a toy motorbike and helicopter. Seems we have another little magpie on our hands. I'll probably see two out of my three children on an episode of Hoarders one day.

Oh, I almost forgot .. there was no rain where we went today even though it was forecast but where we live it rained all day. Maybe we should have chanced the seaside after all, I don't know. What I have noticed lately is that I seem to be getting a tad obsessed with looking at weather forecasts when we plan to go anywhere. Maybe its something that comes with age.

New Summer Sandals

At the weekend one of my friends posted a link on Facebook of a 2 for 1 offer currently on Sun Jellies sandals. If the offer had not been on I doubt that I would have gone out and bought any for myself but I think they are ideal for paddling around at the seaside. I usually buy cheap flip flops for this then spend most of my time chasing after them in the sea when they have slipped off my feet.

I placed the order on Saturday and they arrived today. Little L loves them and has worn them all day. She said they were really comfy and she hasn't stopped jumping about as she is convinced they make her jump higher. I think that is because the sole is soft so maybe feels bouncy to her. I'd forgotten how comfortable they were to wear as I was a jellies wearer myself in the 80's and also had a couple of the bags to use as my school bag. My old ones were in this style though and always in black.

The offer is on until midnight Sunday 27th July. The code to put in at the checkout is SUN241.

I can't wait for our next visit to the seaside now for a splash about.

Conwy Pirate Weekend

Last Saturday we braved the bad weather and went to the Conwy Pirate Weekend. One of my friends told me about the event and had invited us to grab a tent and camp (they have a caravan and stay the weekend) but a babysitter for the weekend can be a bit difficult so she suggested coming with the children. Little L is Pirates of the Caribbean mad so as soon as I mentioned it (in March I think) she has not stopped asking about it. My friend told us that lots of children go and love it. Both her and her husband dress up for the event. She makes the costumes herself which are brilliant and has won best dressed pirate woman for the past two years.

When we arrived Little L was becoming really excited seeing lots of other children also dressed as pirates heading towards the quayside. There were plenty of things to keep children busy, craft activities, pirate lessons, bouncy castles,etc. as well as stalls selling food and crafts, a stage with live music, pirate circus and magic act.

Little L spotted someone dressed as her favourite pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow. She couldn't keep her eyes off him. He did stop and high five her a couple of times and was kind enough to stop for a photo. It made her day.

We watched as the ship Vilma sailed into the quay with some nasty pirates on board. Cannons were fired from the quayside to ward them off. Having never been around cannons being set off before I wasn't prepared for what it feels like when standing near by. I wasn't even that close and I felt the boom of it going off through my body. My husband has said its because of this, that and the other, trying to give me a quick science lesson. All I know is that I didn't like it.

A mermaid made an appearance which the children seemed to love but I did hear two little boys say 'ew, gross' when they took a look.

Just before we left Conwy I spied some owls which were brought along to the event by Cymru Falconry Friends. We were allowed to pet them and most didn't seem bothered in the slightest by all the attention.

This one made a grab for Little L twice which she found funny. She did think that it was a baby and said it was a little cutie.

This one was my favourite. I don't know what kind it is but I loved the colour.
Llandudno is only about 5 miles away from Conwy so we decided to nip there before going home. 

When we arrived there was a Punch and Judy show on and Little L wanted to watch. She thought it was hilarious but we only stayed until the rain got too heavy to stand in the open then took shelter in an arcade.

The rain had been on and off all day and it was definitely a lot cooler on the pier. There were warnings of patchy fog posted at intervals along the road driving in to Wales in the morning.

Views of Little Orme and Great Orme taken from the pier.

Walking off the pier we grabbed a bag of warm doughnuts. I never bother with them at any other time, its my seaside food. When we reached the end of the pier I felt something hit me on the head. It was a seagull after my doughnut. I couldn't believe it. I have seen it happen to another person a few years ago in Llandudno (the gulls are terrible there) but it was a first for me. They don't do it lightly either. My husband and children were cracked up laughing. I heard 'did you see that women get hit on the head' so it must have been pretty amusing to people nearby as well. Well at least it didn't get my doughnut.