dear green place

hee hee!

2011-04-09T23:08:00.003+01:00

I can't believe there are no posts for 2010 at all! I am such a rubbish blogger! I have decided to take the bull by the horns though and really start blogging! Dear Green Place is growing nicely as a business and I think it would be really nice to track this growth here. It would also be nice to let people know a bit more about what I do and how I do it - that sort of thing! Anyway as of tomorrow, a post a day!

My first stall..........

2009-11-13T20:35:00.004Z

Well I did it! I eventually got enough items made to be able to stock a small stall at the playgroup ladies night. It was so hard! I spent days behing my machine - so much so that on the Sunday it decided to stop working! Was probably just as well as it gave time to tidy up all the loose end (literally!) before the big day!

The night itself went quite well for me, I had quite a lot of interest and sold a fair amount of stuff. It was also a steep learning curve. I have learned for example that I need some sort of hanging rail so that I can display a lot of my goods properly. The change pads and baby vests etc. all really need to be hung up to be fully appreciated.

so here's some of the stuff I took.....

There was a lot more. Think I'll add a few photos over the next few days.

Autumn..........

2009-10-17T23:15:00.006+01:00

I took a little time out of the sewing fest that is life in here at the minute to go to the park with my beautiful family this afternoon.
We went up to Calderglen park near East Kilbride. It's a great park with nice walks, a good playground (although it always has my heart in my mouth watch my boys scale the heights!) and a little small animal zoo. We are torn between loving guinea pigs or meerkats best - they are both so cute.
Well it was super busy at the park today, everyone had obviously decided to take advantage of the sun shine. As we walked round I decided that this was my favourite time of year; lovely sunshine, crisp air, crispy leaves, wrap up and off you go. It reminded me of this photo.

It's an oldie (my how my baby boy has grown in two years!) but it was the same sort of "good park" day!

Its me again!

2009-10-15T21:36:00.005+01:00

Hello!
Well its been another 5 months since I last blogged! Being a mother of three is actually requiring more of my time than I thought it would!

However, I have also been busy crafting too. I decided to push myself into doing a stall at the playgroup "ladies night" and have started to make things but it is soooooooooooo hard. I have no idea what to make or how much to make. I guess its trial and error.

Anyway I felt I had to have cards to hand out too and to have cards means I needed a logo. So I got some help from a very talented friend of mine and we came up with this.

I think it is rather nice and can't wait to see it on my little moo cards!

New Addition

2009-04-21T18:04:00.003+01:00

I can't believe I've not blogged in 5 months!

OK so I've been busy creating the most fantastic thing in the world - but I never realised being pregnant had taken up so much of my time!

Well just to let you know the production was finished on the 27th of March (two weeks over the official deadline - but all parties concerned decided it was worth the wait!). And here it is...........

A little pink version of my two blue ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're totally delighted by our fabulous little girl - the pink icing on our cake!

Cookies

2008-11-18T21:53:00.006Z

Was feeling quite energised for some reason today - must be the sunshine so decided to make some cookies for the boys for a treat.
Tried a recipe a friend gave me and it seemed to work well, although I had to tweak it a bit because I didn't have quite the right stuff. The cookies tasted good but looked slightly wonky because two year olds don't really differentiate between splodge and flatten (see 3 below)!

INGREDIENTS
100g/4oz butter or marg
100g/4oz light moscovado sugar
1tbsp golden syrup
150g/6oz self-raising flour
50g/2oz choc chips
50g/2oz mini Smarties (had no big smarties)

HOW TO
1). Pre-heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas4.

2). Beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy, then beat in syrup.

3). Work in half the flour and then stir in smarties, choc chiops and remaining flour. Work into dough and divide into about 12 balls. "Splodge" them (don't flatten)onto a greased or lined baking tray and allow space for spreading.

4). Bake for 12 minutes until pale golden at the edges. Leave for a few minutes to set a little before moving to a wire rack to cool.

It says that these cookies can be kept in an airthight container for up to four days but ours never last that long!

Look what came through my letterbox!

2008-11-15T22:31:00.006Z

During the week I was so delighted to receive this little parcel of loveliness from across the pond.
A few weeks ago I entered the "Boys of Summer" give-away on Heather from Blue Bird Studios blog and I was so lucky to win.
In the package was a lovely little pair of shoes and two burp cloths that just look so beautifully made in a great baseball print fabric.
I'm now torn as to whether to keep them and see if bumpy is a boy (90% certain it will be!) or to give them as a gift for baby J.
Heather's blog is full of great stuff and I have read it often since I saw it on my favourite sew-mama-sew. She has lots of nice ideas and I particularly like the Russian doll Christmas ornaments. It's also nice to have a new trans-atlantic friend! Thank you Heather!
Here's a link to the original post.

UK lass in US: Fabric dollhouse tutorial

2008-11-10T23:01:00.002Z

I've been looking through the sew mama sew christmas gift ideas pages and this caught my eye. It's the cutest little fabric house that can look like a house or fold out into a play centre. Not sure the boys would appreciate it to much but maybe baby L would like it next Christmas.
UK lass in US: Fabric dollhouse tutorial

So much for touch wood!

2008-11-07T21:55:00.001Z

Not able to blog cause I was to busy being ill! Not very good at being ill, just want my Mummy!
Should never have celebrated everyone being fine it was tempting fate!

A heart for Mia

2008-11-05T22:14:00.005Z

Came across this give away on sew-mama-sew. Baby Mia needs a new heart and in America guess what that means? you got it MONEY! How hellish to watch your child die because your insurance won't pay to have her on various tranplant lists? So I thought I'd link to the give away - see button to the right - to try to help.
Thank God for the NHS!
http://a-mama-drama.blogspot.com/2008/11/blog-post.html

Touch wood..........................

2008-11-05T21:52:00.004Z

Today nobody was sick in our house! Cause for a celebration!

Was meaning to start on a baby change mat for my dearest friend who just had the most beautiful baby boy on Monday however, I spent all night messing around on netmums - my latest addiction - and never got round to it.
Think I might try to turn it into a tut..........

Just so as I can post a photo here's a picture of a baby play blanket I made for a friend last week.

Not again!

2008-11-02T13:47:00.002Z

The boys have both been sick this morning - yuck! Poor E we thought he was only saying he felt sick cause A was getting all the attention - that was until he redecorated the bathroom with sugar puffs!
They're both sleeping just now so I thought I'd take the opp to blog a little.
Although I've not blogged much recently I have been busy crafting. My S-I-L Alison's friend had a little girl and so Ali asked me to make a few things for her. Here's what I came up with.

A travel changing mat that you can fold and keep in your baby bag and matching laundry bag. Think they look quite sweet, don't you?

Spooky .........

2008-10-31T22:57:00.007Z

Well regular blogging didn't last for long did it? I was full of good intentions but there has been a lot of colds and winter vomiting bugs going around here so the past week has just been full of unimaginable loveliness!

Anyway today is Halloween so I thought I'd post to mark the occasion. Last year E wouldn't dress up for love nor money. The ghost costume A's wearing below was too scary (My friends will be too scared and will not know it is me mummy) to wear and we eventually persuaded him to be a doctor. What a difference a year makes!!!!! This year it was "I want to be a headless horseman" and not just any headless horseman, no it had to be the one from Scooby Doo with a pumpkin for a head! So I'm left wondering how I'm going to do this! then Tuesday night it was suddenly "skeletons are scarier than headless horsemen aren't they mum? 'cause they're just bones aren't they mum?", so I'm like "do you want to be a skeleton?" "Yes mum!". Wednesday morning we went to the super market and picked up a suitably sized, ready made costume. Cop out I know but it was easy and quick!

A wore the ghost from last year (also super market) and looked very cute for the two seconds he kept it on!

And now for something a little crafty........................

Here is a little pumpkin I made. Got the tutorial here.

Schlosser Designs: Tutorial: Fabric Pumpkins

I'm quite pleased and it only took about 30 minutes all in. The boys were caught playing football with it earlier! Didn't go down to well. DO they not know it's art!

Some things just make you want to count your many blessings..........and then cry.

2008-10-21T22:14:00.006+01:00

Since I had the boys my main fear (apart from anything harming them) is not being able to be there for them be that through illness or whatever.

I came across the tragic tale of "nie nie" through some other blog I was reading although I'm not sure which. Nie nie is Stephanie a young mum of about my age. she and her husband were in a light-aircraft accident in August and she has suffered terribly from burns as a result. As far as I can gather it is still not certain as to what lies ahead for her or her family and what sort of rehabilitation she'll have.

It has really made me appreciate just what I have. It has also made me cry buckets as I went back through her sister's blog of life in the aftermath of the accident.

What I can say is that if prayers and love have anything to do with it this young family will eventually go from strength to strength.

Thoughts and prayers go out there to them xxx

I'll try and link to c-jane's site if I can!

http://blog.cjanerun.com

Elbow - Grounds For Divorce

2008-10-20T17:34:00.001+01:00

This is why there was no post yesterday! Too busy shaking my bump at the Carling Academy. This isn't the best clip in the world but it's the only one added so far! Quite enjoyed myself but don't tell Craig Shhh!

Told you I'd write!

2008-10-18T23:20:00.003+01:00

Even if it is about nothing!
I had a boy free day today and despite saying I was going to get on with some sewing (pumpkins, baby gifts etc.) I never managed.I started gutting the little ones wardrobe and three hours, two bin bags and one cardboard box later I finally had it so that all that was left should fit him! Then it was time to go to tesco!
On the whole would much rather have gone to the science centre with the boys. No nina there though - E was a little disappointed.

From now on.............

2008-10-17T23:10:00.002+01:00

I'm on the computer everyday.
I read other people's blogs everyday.
Why don't I ever write on my own?
From now on I'm going to write something everyday.

Well that's it for today but maybe tomorrow it'll be something more interesting!

Feelin' a bit itchy today!

2008-07-14T18:59:00.001+01:00

Well it's 7 years today since we got married - where did the time go! Still love the boy as much as ever and couldn't be happier with my lot than I am just now.

How soppy is that?!

However, I mean every word xxx.

Stuff what I have made!

2008-06-30T23:44:00.001+01:00

This is the travel change pad I made for A's baby shower. I was really pleased with how it turned out. The hungry caterpillar material is very jolly.
Having seen the original mat I was asked to make two for baby boys. For this one I used the hungry caterpillar material I had left over.
And this one I went a bit more "baby" and used some cute "cuddle print" material from fabriquilt. I think it looks quite sweet.
And lastly this is the quilt/play mat I made as a Christening gift. It was nearly a disaster (attempted to do a kind of quilting around the squares - need practice) but in the end I think it turned out OK.

Guess who's back?!

2008-06-30T23:28:00.002+01:00

OMG! I can't believe it has been nearly 2 months since I last blogged. So what has happened?
Well I had a lovely holiday with ALL the family. It was surprisingly pleasant given the huge numbers of rellies present and the inclement weather conditions (to quote number 1 son "mummy it never rains in Majorca. I think we must have come to the wrong planet!").
After that we got ready for C and A's tum tum babe to "pop". Had a tough time deciding what to make for A's baby shower and plumped for a travel baby change mat.Don't you just love the fabric?! it was perfect given that we didn't know if bumpy was pink or blue. It turns out she's pink (which is sooo nice given all the blue we have already)! Lovely little Lucy eventually popped after an extra 9 days and is just too gorgeous for words!
As well as that I've been really busy making stuff for other people - 2 change pads and a play mat. I'm now about to start a drawstring bag and a laundry bag.
It may be a while til I blog again!

Sew,Mama,Sew! Blog » » Women's Clothing Month

2008-05-02T10:49:00.002+01:00

Sew,Mama,Sew! Blog » » Women's Clothing Month

I'm quite excited by this. Should be a lot of good advice for a novice such as myself. We go on holiday on Saturday so there will be lots of stuff to look at when I get back. Might even put a picture of the top I'm making for myself on the flickr page!

Too full of the cold to sew properly.....

2008-04-28T23:28:00.006+01:00

I'm feeling mega sorry for myself today. After having a horrid throat infection last week (Pus oozing out the tonsils - lovely!) I felt I deserved to skip the cold that the boys and C have had but no, I've got it. My head is full of gung. Anyway I've been trying to sew some stuff tonight but just can't do it.

I came home from dance class (only three rehearsels til show time!!!!!!! - just shoot me now and end this misery - not a hope I'll master the routine. Never mind!) and decided to run up a small bag for myself out of some fabric (Amy Bulters Lotus Wallflower and dots as pictured) I had left over from making a top (actually not quite finished it yet but I will do!).

I got the idea from the Sew Mama, Sew tutorials contest. Jill Tacy has a lovely tutorial for a little sling bag there. It is similar to bags I'd made before so I was quitely confident and didn't read the tut properly. Need I say more............................

I went for lining my front pocket with a contrasting lining rather than the same as the outside fabric. This means it can only unfold one way. Unfortunatley for me I've assembled it the wrong way! so my bag isn't square.

To rip or not to rip that is the question?

Ever feel like you're making an arse of yourself?

2008-04-26T00:17:00.005+01:00

Hello!

This is my first blog post. I had been putting off writing until I had a new camera so I could add pictures but its taking too long so I thought I'd write something anyway!

I think I'll normally write about things I'm making but today is different.

Today I got my Wii Fit!

I managed to set up the wii itself from scratch (I even had to scare a spider away from the pile of cables belonging to the wii that it was living in) and get the wii fit balance board synched all by myself (C is bowling and having a curry with folk from work). So I've spent the evening working my way through the exercises.

My starting wii fit age was 40 (+9!) but when I re-did it at the end it was 33 (only +2!) and my BMI was 23 .5 or something like that so I felt quite good!

Funniest thing was the hula hoop. I've always been rubbish at hula hooping and even in a virtual world I suck big time! I was rather good at the step though. Ah!!!!!!!!! happy days! I was however quite glad there was no one else in the house to watch me make a fool of myself. I don't think virtual hula hooping is the most dignified of sports and definitely not one for spectators!