Devon, enjoyment and just spending time….

It has been over a week since I last blogged, but sometimes days just go by too fast and amalgamate into the next and the next.  That is pretty much what has happened recently – though I have also managed to have a couple of days just enjoying being back in Devon and spending time with Nick and Kiesha.  We visited Bickleigh Mill at the weekend which was fab, we cycled there which meant that Nick and I also got to sample some of the local beverages as well as doing our bit for the environment… naturally.

If you had asked me in my early twenties if I had ever wanted to go back and live in Devon I would have said “no way!”  In that assured way that every twenty something knows exactly what they are going to do in their life and where they will be or not be as the case maybe, but now in my early thirties (yes I did say early!) I could not be happier being back, not that much time has past but wow it certainly has in respect to what I have done, changes I have made, experiences I have gone through; it feels like a lifetime.  With all of that comes maturity, patience, understanding and a real balance of what is actually important in life.  Yes I am happy to be here, not just in this place but in this moment, in this time and just how it is.

On our very long walk we did come across just one of the many hills in this area, however, this particular one looked just right for rolling down! If you look carefully at the picture you will see Kiesha at the top… no not me, I was recovering down the bottom; once was definitely enough for me! Although it has to be said it was great fun and I have not seen Kiesha laugh so much in ages!

We then walked back and stopped at the Fisherman’s Cot, now here is a place that I have been visiting since before I was Kiesha’s age and it is such a beautiful place to sit and have a beer or to have a fab meal, we opted for the beer and a good ol’ traditional Devon Cream Tea.

How to add a scalloped effect to your fabric

Now those of you who know me from the papercrafting world will know I LURVE scalloped edges, round corners the whole lot, they just make projects look divine and ever so professional.  Well I think that it is no different with material, so, here are a few snaps on how to create that look.  I will do this as a downloadable tutorial too, but I think that will have to wait until the weekend!

Firstly pin your ric rac to your fabric ensuring that only half of the humps are above the fabric. *** Top Tip – Take a closer look at the diagram above by clicking on it to see the placement of the pins.  Placing your pins like this means you can  sew straight over them and remove them when you have finished sewing.  You will need to ensure they are straight though, any pins at an angle could result in breaking your sewing machine needle and the pin! ***

I have also added a picture so you can see the other side of the fabric before we start sewing – here you will see that you are only able to see the top humps of the fabric.  *** Top Tip – Have a thorough look to ensure that your ric rac is properly placed, any adjustments to be made can be done now before you start sewing. ***

Now you are ready to start to sew the ric rac to the fabric, line it up on your sewing machine, here you can choose which stitch style you would like to use and also where you would like to stitch.  Just ensure that whichever you chose will secure the ric rac in place, I chose to use a straight running stitch and I also chose to sew mine fairly close to the top of my folded fabric.

Once you have sewn the ric rac into place you can decide what you would like to do next – I have added a ribbon to mine as in the picture and I have also added another picture so you can see the other side, as just using the ric rac as it is is pretty cool too!

Hope you have fun adding a scalloped look to your fabric projects or just adding ric rac!  Don’t forget to check back soon so you can download this tutorial.

And so it starts…..

It is official, it has started… those dreaded teenage moments that you know there is no turning back the clock to calmer, happier, more rational times.  Kiesha and I went head-to-head last night in a humdinger of an argument – admittedly I may have made the situation worse by laughing but honestly you would have too – it was hilarious, although the laughing did not exactly defuse the situation (at all!).
It was, as these things usually are, over something ridiculous… however, there were a couple of things I learnt:-
1. Kiesha is more like me than I originally thought
2. Kiesha really is more like me than I originally thought
3. OMG – Kiesha is way too much like me!

So, really it was like having an argument with myself – I do mean via words though I am NOT half so stroppy…… no really I am not! 

Although I did get a note from Kiesha this morning saying she hoped I had a great day at work and oh I am sorry about last night… so at least we are still at the beginning stages, you know where you still GET an apology.

I think one of the worst parts of parenting is you are never quite sure whether what you are doing is right… you have to play it by ear, wing it sometimes and other times you are really sure that you are doing the right thing until that little niggle comes in and says ah but are you?   You get the joy of finding out when they are all grown up and about to have children of their own! ****sigh**** 

Onto greater things though – the latest issue of Sew magazine is out now and Nick very kindly went and picked it up for me on his trip to Tesco.  Some more fabby designs and a free pattern to boot.  I should also have a parcel arriving from Daisy Chain Designs which I am sooo excited about receiving, I have a multitude of projects that are for friends and family and a few fun things for Kiesha and I to do together. 

I love our Mother and Daughter sewing sessions and she adores her Sew Fun sewing machine which is from Elna.  These are cherished bonding sessions that I really look forward too.

I will also be making some Lemon Balm Lip salve for those who suffer from cold sores and also for those who just like the lemony aroma and yes the lemon Balm is fresh from our garden, cannot wait.  I just wish there were more hours in the day to be able to do all the fun things as well as the working, earning money and looking after the house thing that we all have to do…. Which brings me back to the argument with Kiesha last night, no amount of convincing from me is going to help her to understand that being an adult really isn’t that cool after all and no we really don’t get to do what we want to do all the time, we just get to do what we should do!

Herbal Balm

Wow doesn’t the weekend just fly by!? Today I am working a later shift which is fabba roo as I am knackered – happy but knackered!  Yesterday along with making a scrummy roast dinner I also made some Herbal Balm, this stuff is a must for every household! Not only is it great for keeping your smackers in perfect condition but it is also great for cuts, stings, bites, pimples and spots – told you a complete must.

This little tub of gorgeous goodness is made up of Calendula, Comfrey, Plantain, St Johns Wort, Lavender oil, Olive oil and Beeswax.  Just have to work on the packaging now which I will in the week and then shall be adding it to growing collection of pressies to astound and please friends and family

Traci x

Sugar Scrub

Hurrah off to the party soon but have a quick 5 mins to show you my latest body product that will be winging it’s way to Sarah very soon.

I love this one it is Honey & Vanilla and is just divine for your skin, includes instructions on the back and I also decorated a gift bag to boot .  These bags were so cheap in Tesco last year after Christmas that I bought the lot knowing I could just tweak them for which ever occasion or person – perfect!  Right got to go and get the meringues out the oven and then go!

Watch out for my tutorial coming soon on how to make the Honey and Vanilla Sugar Scrub.

Traci x

The Weekend!

Yay for the weekend!!!  Currently I am still sat in bed with laptop (of course) and have been plotting calorific values into my Sparkpeople Nutrition tracker as well as adding the details on my Fitness Tracker.  It is time consuming to begin with but I am sure the time spent doing it today will be well worth it for later on as no matter how many good intentions I have of keeping score in my head I just know I will forget!

I am certainly feeling it from yesterday’s work out and although not technically working out again until tomorrow I feel a brisk walk coming on this afternoon.  I have got some more body products to make this afternoon as Nick and I have been invited to Sarah E.T’s Birthday bash tonight in Exeter.  It is a night to be spent playing Guitar Hero and drinking copious amounts of alcohol (like to point out that by copious I mean by all not just me!).

Kiesha is off to Jackie’s and will be attending Rackenford’s very own carnival with Jess and Shannon so she is already hyped up and has been since the first moment of awakeness this morning.  Now I believe it is high time I removed myself from my pit and got on with some making and baking – oh yes I have some more little meringues to make for Sarah’s B’day they are somewhat of a hit between my friends!  If you have not made them yourself yet you will find the recipe and instructions here

What do you do on a day off? Well…..

As you know (from my previous post) I had a day off yesterday and after doing my Mum seeing of her fledgling part it was time to get to it.  So, what did I do with my day off?  Well…. I finished filling the first raised vegetable bed that we put together a little while back now and then helped Nick put the other one together, Planted out my Winter cabbage and Purple Sprouting Broccoli and then stood back, admired and felt self-righteous at the fact that we will be able to eat our own produce.  I have added 4″ Copper rings around the Winter Cabbage to stop the slugs from devouring them and have got 7″ ones to hand once they start growing out.

Once the Gardening had been attended too it was time for sorting and cleaning – oh yes that joyous thing we all do!  Actually I did feel better for it afterward and now walk past the areas that were piled with “stuff” and think excellent that’s done instead of I really must do that!

A sprinkle of walking added to the day when we picked Kiesha up too, we waited a little bit away from the school gates thinking this would be the responsible parent thing to do and I had the most squiggy, heart melting into a puddle on the floor moment when Kiesha, after spotting us, ran and gave us a hug!  My cup truly runeth over!

This morning it is what will become the normal routine Kiesha rushing as she was going to be late (already!) me working out in the front room (yes I know; but the cycling to work has stopped especially as the nights are already drawing in!) then a quick brisk walk to finish it off before getting ready for work, though feeling rather good at having done it and as I have asked Nick for his loving support and expertise feel as though my exercise scheduled will be here to stay as opposed to the usually two week short stay! Oh and I have worked out the calorie content for my days from now on – I had a gym induction awhile back and need to cut down by 500 calories a day to get back to what would be a comfortable weight.  Why is it so quick to put on and so long to get off!  And to be honest there really is very little effort to gain but a mammoth effort to get it off!  Ah well, I shall enjoy the process of getting back to fitness (well, so I keep telling myself! LOL)

First day at School

A new day, a new era, well for Kiesha anyway.  Today is her first day at Secondary School, so firstly where did the time go?  And how come the summer holidays only lasted a blink of an eye? **Sigh**

Growing up is inevitable and one thing that to be honest I really don’t want to stop or slow down, I believe in enjoying every stage for what it is, but and it is a big BUT is it really meant to whizz by this fast????

I managed to get the day off work today to witness and be part of this momentous occasion in her life.  I took the day off to take her to school should she want me to or just to be the motherly support in the morning behind closed doors as most kids of this age think they should be!

I was lucky when I told Kiesha I had got the day off; she was ecstatic and asked if I would pick her up too, a major moment to be cherished forever as I pretty much think this type of response will soon be replaced with “Mum, you can’t come you are soooo embarrassing!”   I love that she has a smart appeal with a hint of rebel (only because she really is not the rebel type!) with her hair joining in, yes no matter how many times it was brushed it still had that unkempt look – I love it!

And what of Kiesha’s nerves?  Well to be honest she took it in her stride right up to the part where we were leaving her with a few girls she had just met to go the rest of the way in the comfort of Amy’s Mum’s car.  At that point she went a slighter paler shade of almost white and gripped my hand and now she will already be in the hall and her butterflies will have lessened and probably disappeared by about 9.15 where as mine will stay for the rest of the day until we are reunited for me to be told she had a great day and met… and did…. Yep, I love being a Mum.

George Land

It was my friends little boys Birthday on Saturday so I made this card for him.

Usually I am making things for girls so it was quite nice to do something different. I had some 3d decoupage with space figures on it that I thought would be perfect and better still they are already pre-cut so less fiddly to boot!

I added a few stickers in the background and George Land was formed! I really do think I should get back into the swing of making cards etc… as it has been such a long time but there are a few items I need to purchase so it will have to wait and I guess I shall make do with the bits and pieces I have to hand! Yes Clare I know your once wise words are ringing so true!

Guitar folder

Kiesha has wanted to learn to play the guitar now for awhile and spurred on by the inspirations that are Kaye and Brian she now has her own guitar to practice on, this is huge for her and I cannot thank Brian enough for lending one of his guitar’s to her. Kaye has offered to give her lessons and so the need for a folder was born (that is where I come in!).

Here is what I used:-

An a4 white folder

Some 12 x 12 Scrapbooking papers

Distress Inks (naturally)

Silver paint dabber (oh yeah)

Grungeboard (of Course)

Philosphy tags (they rock!)

Ribbon

Brads

Flowers

Here is the plain A4 folder it has a clear vinyl cover that you can slip an insert into or in my case a groovy design.

Firstly I rooted through my stash to get some scrapbooking card suitable for a child that is now obsessed with the colour blue but ensuring that it will appeal for the many stages yet to come!

Grabbed the distress inks which I have missed playing with and know it has been awhile as my fingers are a normal colour as oppossed to the permanent stain of a multitude of colours that I used to have on practically a daily basis!

Then routed for a few embellishments that would add the finishing touches. Once I had that altogether I played around with the positioning of the grungeboard before distressing the edges of the paper and then getting to work on the grungeboard letters themselves. This is where I am in my element, I also used the silver paint dabber to add some dimension and contrast to a couple of the letters and part of the paper. After that it was a simple case of adding the ribbon and the embellishments. I adore the philosophy tags and thought they would look great hanging off the brads in the centre of the flowers – ta dah!

I then made a strip for the spine and also a pocket insert for all the loose pieces of information she will gather over time. I still had a few sheets of DCWV Scrapbook paper that were perfect for this.

For the insert I scored a Blue 12 x 12 facedown piece of cardstock 9″ in from the left-hand side all the way down then folded that inwards. Then Scored 1/2″ in from the bottom all the way across and folded that upwards.

I cut out the guitar from the DCWV cardstock but used part of the remaining cardstock to make a deeper section along the bottom. This was adhered to the 1/2

” section using double sided tape. I then adhered the guitar to the 3″ strip on the right-hand side again using double sided tape and then cut the visable blue card to the same shape as the guitar. Punched the holes in the relevant placesand the insert was done.

So now we have a guitar folder; one happy little lady and one happy to get back to crafting Mumma!

Hope this inspires you to create your own folders and if so we would love to see them so send us a link

Traci x