Gone to the Beach

Here's the finished play screen:

This side came together quite nicely over a sewing night with friends
- who inspired various features, such as the bucket and spade 

A bit crumpled, but already much played with and definitely a hit. I'd wondered whether they would like being closed in, but had clearly forgotten that children LOVE dens. (Not to mention hurling themselves in and out of holes, too. The strength of the Velcro that holds the whole thing up has been well and truly tested, and the screen hasn't fallen down yet - phew.)

My favourite bit - makes me think of holidays each time I look at it.

And when they have had enough of serving up ice creams to their friends and toys, they can entertain us all with their own unique take of the annual pantomime they'll be going to with their grandparents next week.

No expense spared - spot the bit of garden cane used for the curtain pole. 

With only a couple of nights left until Christmas, a heavy cold, and so no intention of spending both evenings sewing, I adjusted what I was going to do for the reverse side, and opted for a simple design that came together by taking a pair of scissors to whatever bits of fabric I had leftover from other recently finished projects.

I'd normally have wanted to painstakingly hand sew all those branches, and make sure every finished edge was nice and neat. And then, feeling cold ridden, I remembered I had a big tube of fabric glue tucked away in my sewing box. Ta da! Second side of the screen finished in plenty of time to resume position on sofa (with tin of Quality Street close to hand) for the Miranda Christmas special.

Hello, Elephant!

The occupant of the lower bunk is absolutely gleeful at having her own curtains to draw at bed time. I think this play screen is staying put for the foreseeable future...

So a big slice (or three) of Smug Cake for me. This play screen might be a bit shabby around the edges, but unlike some other toys I have made for my girls that have barely been played with, this one has already been worth the effort in terms of fun had out of it. Hooray for sewing and gluing!

Happy Christmas!

Continuing with the penguin theme, here are some gratuitous pics of our Christmas cake...

The bunk bed play screen is finished. Just. Pictures to follow.

I still haven't decided whether to let Santa's little elves claim credit for it, or whether to make it clear all the creative glory goes to Mummy. Problem being that I have used some of the same (quite distinctive) fabric on the bunk bed play screen as I did for Wilma the Elephant. And she is most definitely down to the magic of Christmas, as that is the only thing the middle girl has asked the man in the red suit and big beard for. Will they notice amidst all the unwrapping and excitement? Maybe I tell them Santa must have gone to John Lewis for his fabric, too. Or, perhaps I am giving this a bit too much thought. They are only little, after all. Decisions, decisions...

Happy Christmas, everyone!

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

This last week has had some lovely Christmas preparations. Two nativity plays, card making, snow globe making, a final Christmas workshop (stocking making) over lazy mince pies, choosing a tree and decorating it, and, now, the end of term.

For those of you who didn't watch Kirstie's Homemade Christmas, these jam jar now globes were easy peasy and fun to make. Glycerin, glitter, and, in our case, some coloured bake in the oven clay for the penguins and snowmen, and a bit of bathroom sealant round the outside seal.

We're not bored of making them yet, either. The girls have asked to make Rudolf versions next. I am very happy to oblige. In fact, I'll admit, I have enjoyed giving these little jars of fun a little shake every now and again, even when the girls are not around.

Card shop (with button till)

Next up are some gingham place mats I made last night for a friend who is coming to visit today. Nothing like doing things a bit last minute, huh? Even worse, they were for a birthday last August. Oops.

So here are some hearts by way of a distraction from the tardiness of the original present requested. Look familiar? (Thanks, Kirstie)

The bunk bed project is coming along nicely.

Admittedly, it doesn't look like much here. I gave up taking pictures, as it is hard to make the process of sewing together two plain pieces of fabric look interesting. And it took a surprisingly long time, too. All those long straight lines and enormous strips of Velcro to sew on. 

And now, the donkey work is done. I have got a big screen ready to be embellished with fun things. And that can wait until next week, when a few friends are coming round for a final sewing night before Christmas. I'll have scraps and Bondaweb on hand, and see what inspiration happens over mince pies and other treats.

Dreaming up some bunk bed fun

Back in the summer, when it was warm outside, and we didn't need hats, scarves, gloves and coats just to pop out for the school run, we bought our older two girls bunk beds. They LOVE them. Particularly the middle one, who still proudly tells anyone she meets that "We've got bunk beds!", with excitement in her voice that fools those who don't know her well into thinking it has just this minute happened. (Long may she keep that sense of wonder and quirkiness that being three years old brings her.)

Anyhow, pretty much since that time, I have had vague ideas of making some kind of play screen to hang from the top bunk to the lower one. Yesterday, I got round to measuring up and sketching out some ideas - ready for Santa's little elves to work their magic. Or, at least, that will be my line with the girls when they open this up on Christmas morning. 

As far as fabric goes, I've assembled what I need from my stash, and all I needed to buy was some Velcro and Bondaweb from Singers in town. A very pleasing, calm and cheap way to do Christmas shopping. (I shall have a big slice of Smug Cake on Christmas Day if it all ends up looking as nice in reality as it currently does in my head. And, that they play with it for hours on end, too, of course.)

Now I can't wait to get started on it.