Bloggie Break

Just a quick post to say I will be taking a blogging break for a couple of weeks - just to regroup, recharge my batteries, catch up with some stuff - might even find the bottom of the laundry basket! Not switching off completely - just my bloggety-blog! My online shops will remain open and I'll be relaying anything newsworthy (and probably non-newsworthy!) via Twitter/Flickr, which I'm sure I won't be abandoning - that would just be too much!!

Cheerio an Drasda!

See you in a couple of weeks : )

A Moose in the Hoose

Sorry my blog has been a little quiet of late - I've been trying not to sit for pro-longed periods at my laptop, but not managing very well! A little bit of new 'tweedies' designing going on - I don't need much encouragement for me to go off onto a new project and a suggestion of making 'tweedie' pet-toys got me into redesigning mode which I really enjoyed, as it's been a while since I came up with any new 'tiny-tweedies' (my soft-toy collectables).

This little moose was an idea for a pet's toy but I quite like it as a 'softie/plush' in it's own right. It's 4.5 inches long and has hand-embroidered features, which were necessary if it were used as a cat's toy.

A little fishie-tweedie (or a shark-tweedie!!) came next, which I left quite simply embroidered as I though it might get heavy treatment too. However, I would probably add more scales or other detail for a 'softie' toy. Because of their simple shapes, it was really nice to use embroidery to add detail. It's a bit like drawing with a sewing needle! I think they would make fun, Hebridean, souvenir gifts - so they might land on a craft fair stall too.

I will probably add one or more of them to my own website soon, whether as 'softies' or pet-toys or both!! A nice order for my Harris Tweed Dinosaurs came my way this week, just as I was thinking of chilling out a bit and putting some items together for possible craft-fairs! Aint that always the way? - don't get me wrong though, I love orders!!

Off to do my sewing - Bye for now!

P.S. My little Giveaway prize is winging it's way to Canada as I type - so Goodbye little bumblebee and safe journey!!

It's a Bug's Life!

The expressions on these little Butterfly bug's faces probably describe my own feelings after yanking my back last weekend! A bit grumpy, a bit smiley and a bit unsure - a myriad of emotions, but mostly pretty grumpy!! Anyhow, I've decided I'm on the mend, even though I'm still walking about like a 120 year old woman (no offence to anyone who's 120 years old!!).

I added these little bugs or 'pupae' to make up a little butterfly family which I've added to my Etsy shop this week. I had a bit of fun, embroidering their little faces! My own website has been getting a bit of attention too (while I was in sedentary mode!) and added a new Category here.

Hope you're having a fun weekend - Bye for Now! (before I seize up again!)

Second Attempt!

Sorry, I have been a bit out of action this week with a 'wonky' back! However, as promised, I have had to do a re-draw for my Giveaway as I have no way of contacting the initial winning commenter, who has not been in contact to claim the 'booty'. So, for the second time around, here goes!!

The new winning commenter is No.5, which has just been generated using RandonNumberGenerator. So, Heidi of Digital Misfit, is my new winner! Apolgies for the slight, unavoidable confusion, but I will be in touch, Heidi, and will be posting your 'tweedy' goodies as soon as I get your contact details.

Hobbling off now, but will bopefully be back on form soon!!

Cheerio an Drasda!

Blue Skies!

We had beautiful, sunny skies here in the Hebrides over the weekend . . .

. . . so I decided to go out with my butterfly-net and capture a few more butterflies for the shop . Discovered this cute little pair, so decided to release them into the sanctuary straight away!

The littlest one is extremely tiddly - about 3 inches across, but very sweet . . .

Sssshhhh - whisper, in case you frighten him away - hehe!

Off to go and capture a few more now! By the way, if Sarah my Giveaway winner is reading, pleeeease contact me with your contact details in the next few days. Otherwise I will have to do a redraw - I'll try again on Thursday of this week if I don't hear anything from my winning commenter. So, hurry Sarah!!

Think I'll get 'Little S' to pick numbers out of a hat if I have to do it again!! Eeeeks!

Hope you had a lovely weekend - Bye for Now!

Tag Along!

An idea in progress - some 'tweedy' gift tags to add a bit of Harris Tweed 'cute' to your gifts! Have a fun day : )

my creative space . . .

Come in and have a seat. This is where it all happens! Well, quite a lot of it actually - I do a lot of hand sewing and this is where I often sit. I threw this aboriginal-inspired printed-throw over the chair a couple of weeks back in my attempt to hide the messy-looking cover underneath (that's the kind of thing I do - ooops!). The pink, Harris Tweed cushion was featured in a previous post here. Lots of colours, patterns clashing, but I like that, so it's staying!!

The very chunky looking wooden chair to the right of it was carved out of a huge log by a very talented cousin who is a forestry worker (with a wonderful flair for wood sculpture). It has a hole carved out of the base on all 4 sides, which you can't see so well. I love it - it's very organic and rustic looking. On the chair to the left is where I usually stash my sewing basket and WIPs . . . (there's a box of toy stuffing to the left of it, ready to be utilised)

On the chair . . . more Harris Tweed butterfly bodies in pretty soft colours, ready to be sewn up and released into 'the sanctuary'. I'm going to take a seat now in my 'Hippy Chair' as my son has dubbed it! - more creativity over at Kirsty's

Cheerio an Drasda!

P.S. Please check my previous post today for the winner of the Giveaway!!

And the Winner is . . . !

Many thanks to all the lovely people who joined in my Giveaway! I was truly inspired by all the comments which people took time out to write - it was great to read them. Many of the inspirations and favourite craft/artforms mentioned are the same as mine, so I feel I have found lots of kindred spirits!

And the winner of the Giveaway chosen by the 'Random Number Generator' is Commenter No. 12, Sarah! Congratulations Sarah, and please get in touch with me by e-mail with your contact details so I can post your 'tweedie goodies'. You can contact me directly here on my own website.

Thanks again and Congratulations!

How to Cook Vegetables - Part 1

This is 'Big Sis' giving me a demonstration on how to cook vegetables properly - she really does have a very poor opinion of my culinary skills (or to be more precise, my domestic skills!!). Due to a family bereavement, she and her two lovely girls (my nieces) had to cut their Easter Hols short after only 2 days of their planned week's holiday on the island. We were all really disappointed, but that is part of life's rich tapestry, so ....

Anyhow, Sis, thanks for following my blog (which is more than can be said for the other four - huge guffaws of laughter!! - just kidding!) and hope to see you for a longer break the next time. I'm following your culinary advice - honest! (which is more than can be said for the domestic advice - hehe!).

Back with more 'craftiness' later in the week.

Bye for now!

Happy Easter!

More pics of next door's sheep! Having a lazy Easter Sunday today - might even get my dinner made for me! Easter hols almost over so back to serious 'tweedie' making next week.

I've been revamping my Etsy shop and converting it into a bit of a 'Sanctuary' for my 'tweedie-butterflies' and any other tweedies creations that might sneak in! I felt it needed a more co-ordinated look, rather than lots of Harris Tweed stuff bundled together in a higgledy-piggledy fashion! So I will add other items as well as 'butterflies', but they rule the roost for the time being - available in lots of different colours/patterns with their own names and numbers.

Giveaway still open until midnight on Wednesday, by the way!!

Hope the Easter Bunny is good to you!

my creative space . . .

Aaaaargh! I'm on my Easter hols and I'm still crafting - how did that ever happen??? Probably the cute packages of Japanese fabric arriving in the post had a little to do with it!

I've had a couple of welcome orders to do hence the scissors, sellotape, etc; the 'wee hebridean hoose' has had a packaging update; the usual needles and pins; cute matryoshka japanese fabric made into a softie doll (with Harris Tweed on the reverse), a little butterfly which is the start of my 'Butterfly' sanctuary in my Etsy shop (that's another story!!), thread, glue, scissors and cotton cord for hanging decorations (a project in mind). Pheeeew, holiday - what holiday!

My 'Giveaway' is still open till Thursday 16th if you'd like to join in - I think I'll go and have a cup of tea now (or maybe something stronger!!)

More creativity over at Kirsty's lovely blog. Bye for Now!

Blogiversary Giveaway!

I still don't know how to spell blogiversary - never mind, here's details of the giveaway as promised! Today is my one year blogiversary and what better way to celebrate than a Giveaway. I have gained such a huge amount of enjoyment from my blog this year and the lovely feedback I have received. Living in quite a geographically remote part of the country/world, it has meant a great deal to me to share my work and inspiration and general, daily hum-drum stuff to all those who read my blog and, yes, it's great fun too!

Bloggy speech over, here's the deal - just leave a comment saying what inspires you to craft OR what craft/art form you most admire OR failing that, just why you'd like to win the Giveaway! It is open to anyone in the world to enter and will close at midnight on Wednesday 15th April (British time). (That will give me time to enjoy all my lovely relatives who are up on Easter hols at the moment!!). I will do the 'Random Number Generator' thingy to select the winner. Hope you'll feel inclined to enter, just for the fun of it!!

The Giveaway prize will be a selection of tweedy-goodies as shown above - 'tweedy-bumblebee', Harris Tweed/Kawaii fabric pin-cushion, fabric covered buttons, ladybird-tweedies card and I'll add whatever other tweedie-goodies I have to hand!

Happy Monday!

(P.S. I'll announce the winner on Thursday 16th April, so please check back then, particularly if you haven't left contact details with your comment).

Little Lambies!

Here's a pic of the first lamb(s) of the season, as far as my next door neighbour's sheep are concerned! He released a couple of lovely, bouncy-looking lambs into his croft last night - and very healthy they looked too. It was a beautiful sunny evening, so not too much of a shock for the poor wee souls (the lamb is the little white blurry thing, by the way!!)

Still managing to sneak a bit of crafting in here and there, as we are holidaying at home (what's new!!). I'd ordered some dried lavender and when it arrived in the post I was pretty keen to make something with it, so I decided to go back to my 'wee hebridean hoose' design - made a minature version (5 inches x 3.5 inches), added a hanging loop and filled them with soft polyester fibre and lavender.

I think they look quite cute hanging on a wall, in an earthy, Hebridean kind of way! They are most likely bound for my Folksy shop (and maybe for the elusive craft fairs!)

Back tomorrow to post about my Giveaway.

Happy Sunday!

my creative space . . .

My creative space is looking very quiet this morning (I'm posting on the correct day for a change!). A basket of bumblebee WIPs on my living-room chair, ("works in progress", to clarify!) which I cut out and assembled on Tuesday in between keeping 'Little S' entertained who is now on Easter school hols. (I'm using my favourite mustard yellow Harris Tweed here - very yummy colour!).

Sorry for the slightly grainy pic, but I'm in the living room which - doesn't get the best light first thing in the morning. I completed one of the little bumblebees as you can see in the top left corner and have been trying to pop items for my 'Giveaway' into this basket this week - so that's a sneak preview!

I'm off now to enjoy some family time during the Easter hols, but I will be posting about my Giveaway on Monday and possibly popping in from time to time too - hope you're having a nice day wherever you are! More creative spaces over at Kirsty's.

Cheerio an Drasda!

(Just to add, here's some 'Chocolate Brownies' we made yesterday - OK, it was a packet mix, but we enjoyed making them anyway!!