Category Archives: Craft

A Little Flock of Happiness

I was SO excited the other day when I switched on my computer and PING! there was an email from Folksy to tell me that my little Bluebird was SOLD! I suppose it’s a symptom of working at home, mostly alone, that it’s easy to get into the wrong mindset , and have very little faith that someone, somewhere will like what you make. So PING! I was very happy, and packed my little Bluebird up…

…and sent him winging his way to his new home, where I hear he is singing cheerfully! And now I have an order for another one, so I am singing cheerfully too!

In the meantime I started on a slightly different Bluebird idea, and ran headlong into design difficulties. This time I wanted to have two birds and a little garland of hearts held in their beaks, which can hang on the wall. I made the birds, I made the hearts…but I was quite sure that I couldn’t use wool to join them together. So I tried this idea…then that idea..then I had to go out. Then it was too late and it was time to go to bed. And then – I joined them all together with a wool cord and it was perfect!!!

So here they are. The left hand bird…

…and the right hand bird…

..and all the little hearts.

It’s in the Folksy shop right now, verging on the almost-too-late for Valentine’s Day but actually I think it would look lovely over the cot in a nursery or little girls room. (Hmmm…or even in my sitting room…! )

Talking about sittingrooms, this is what Higgins likes to to do when offered a bit of carpet to lie on…

He’s not invited often!

(ETA. They sold the very next day!!!)

Telling ‘Tails’! – The Dachshund Creed

The Miniature Dachshund Creed

1. If it’s in my mouth, it’s mine!
2. If I like it, it’s mine!
3. If I can take it from you, it’s mine!
4. If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine!
5. If it’s mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way!
6. If I’m chewing something up, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks like mine, it’s mine!
8. If I saw it first, it’s mine!
9. If you are playing with something and put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10. If it’s in the same house I’m in, it’s mine!
11. If it’s broken, it’s yours!

Now, here’s a little reminder of the Higgins appeal…

…the laid back attitude…

…and inquiring mind…

The enquiring mind which led a little nose to poke into the pocket of the jacket I had hung over the back of a chair – well there could have been dog biscuits – and find…my gloves…these fingerless gloves..

Pretty, aren’t they? Well, they were…

Not now, however…

Hmmm…

Then there were the cushions. Cushions which were admired in this picture…

Where the damage to the covers doesn’t show. I had a set of these, very cheap, I couldn’t have made them for the price, but pretty. And right from when he was very young Higgins would first suck, then late chew the corners when no-one was looking. When I thought he’d grown out of this baby habit, I remade the covers. Huh…who was I kidding.

There’s just one left now, it’s Higgins very own cushion.

I expect it will become very boring now, very quickly!

Still I though he could redeem himself by helping with the draw for the 150th Blog Post prize. I thought he could use this hat…remember this hat?

The way he did last year when he drew the winning ticket for That Elusive Line.

But no. When I walked in the door holding the hat in my hand he released the springs in his bottom and BOING! BOING! BOING! all he wanted to do was to chew it to bits. I had all the tickets printed and ready…

and I did try make the tickets more interesting than the pink fluffy felt but it took two of us to corner him to get the hat back.

In the end, once the hat had been forgotten, I invented an extremely exciting (for a dachshund) game with little bits of paper until he suddenly picked one up and ran with it. Result!

So one lucky person is about to absolve Higgins from absolutely all the above charges. (Although I do get the feeling that all you out there are mostly on his side anyway!)

And who is that lucky person? Well, Alice, and your artistic director Raymond,it’s you! Congratulations! It’s lovely to think that a little piece of Norfolk will be winging it’s way to New Zealand.

I do hope you like it x

A Splash of Colour

The Christmas decorations have all gone and it’s a grey, dull, wet January day so a Splash of Colour is sorely needed. After I had cleared away the last of the festivities I found, at the back of a shelf, a glass jar in which I have collected felt beads which I have been embroidering at odd moments over the last few weeks. I’ve been meaning to get them out to show you, and to do something with them for ages, and now seems the perfect moment!

So, what to make? I unearthed my box of beading bits and found some little fasteners and cord and all the bits I needed and found I had just the right number of beads to make two bracelets and a necklace.

And here they are. Bracelet 1…

…and bracelet 2…

…and shall we say, a slightly less exuberant colour scheme for a rather elegant necklace.

The temptation is to look in my wardrobe and see what they go with, but no, I’m going to be sensible and put them in the Folksy shop in the hope that someone will love them as much as I do! No more procrastination!

Thank you for all the get well messages following my last post about the uninvited swinish visitor over Christmas and the New Year. T and I had the flu vaccine just before Christmas so we are still keeping our fingers crossed. It was the younger generation who were afflicted, especially the four year old. Just to update you, they are back home now on the South Coast and recovering well, even the small one who had an ear infection and a perforated eardrum. It’s a dreadful thing, and a reminder to us all to get the jab if at all possible every year.

Also Higgins is being very big headed about all the compliments he has been receiving from you. He can’t understand why I keep putting all this woolly stuff on the blog when you would obviously like more pictures of him. Next time I will show you evidence of some very naughty goings on with Mr Higgins and those lovely shiny teeth!

P.S. Don’t forget, there is still time to enter the draw for the needlefelted Christmas ornament in my last post.

A New Year Gift…

….to celebrate my 150 Blog Post! I can’t believe it’s come round so quickly…

Anyway, a belated Happy New Year to you all, thank you for visiting. I’m sorry to have been away so long but there have been guests, invited and uninvited. No-one invited flu of the Swinish persuasion, but he came anyway and laid several of our party low, and as I write the smallest one is still very poorly. We’re all sending get well wishes southwards as hard as we can, here in Norfolk.

So, not many photos at the moment, and not enough to join in with Emma’s Splash of Colour today, maybe tomorrow.

Higgins had a lovely time with all the people to cuddle him, he makes an excellent hot water bottle! He wore his hat…

….for at least 20 seconds. Ate his Father Christmas toy so fast I didn’t get a chance to photograph it, called a Christmas truce with Henry…

…and then dragged a cushion under the dining table to sleep off his own Christmas dinner while we ate ours.

Anyway, the giveaway. Are you all decorationed out, or would you like something towards Christmas 2011 to hang on your tree? I have been needlefelting again, this time Christmas baubles and I have made a very special one to share with you, and for one lucky person to win.

The bauble is 5″ from the top wooden bead to the bottom bead,that’s just under 13cm, is made from my hand dyed Merino and Blue-Face Leicester fleece and is completely unique. (‘cos I hate to repeat myself!)

To win it, just leave a comment on this post, all the names will go into the hat and Higgins will decide the lucky winner by eating drawing the winning name. the plan had been to draw it on Twelth Night but because I’m so late, I will let it run until next Monday, the 10th.

Even if you’ve never commented before, please do, it would be lovely to hear from you x

Christmas Smells

We’re really getting into the swing of Christmas here on Planet Penny, are you keeping up? My main problem has been that if I’m being creative I can’t squeeze in the blogging, sorry, I will try harder!

Delia’s’ Happy Christmas’ is sitting up on the kitchen bar and I have in progress Christmas cake, Christmas pudding AND mincemeat. All of it has to sit over night for the flavours to blend so the kitchen will be a frenzy of activity tomorrow too. But the smell is already tantalising, mixed spice, cinnamon and my favourite, freshly grated nutmeg, the zesty tang of oranges and lemons and heady aroma of the dried fruit for the cake, steeping in brandy. (note to self – I must not pick and nibble…no, no, NO!)

This morning I popped out to the shop where the sun was shining on the snow and a brass band was playing carols which made me feel really festive so when I heard what a depressing play was on the radio I abandoned it for my ‘free from the Daily Mail’ carols CD….

Higgins, under protest, has gone for walk so I have been able to quickly clear up the carnage left after he disemboweled his festive reindeer soft toy, new today, little terror. He seems to think his mission in life is to remove the squeaks from all his toys, leaving a trail of stuffing all through the house.

So what have I been up to? Well next Saturday we have a Christmas Fair at our village hall and the Knit and Stitch Group have a table to fill. I have been stitching and stuffing in ever available spare moment, producing little hearts…

and birds…

The next project is to find a twiggy branch which I can turn into a tree for them to perch on at the fair, my cherry blossom branches don’t look Christmassy enough…

As usual I am battling with the light for photographs, flash does weird things with the colour. I find I don’t have one photo which shows that each little bird is made with two different but complementing colours with little silver stars for eyes, and every bird is different.

If you would like to buy the hearts or birds without a trip to Norfolk please get in touch!

Higgins is home now, and very tired. He can’t think who could have done the naughty thing to his toy and made all that mess, because he is, of course, a very good dog. Look, butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth, now would it?

Buying! and SELLING!

Despite the foggy weather it’s been pretty jolly here on Planet Penny this weekend. I hope yours is being just as much fun.
Yesterday morning we set off to Holt in North Norfolk to the third Pick n’Mix Makers Market organised by Teena of Kitschen Pink, and Lisa of Bobo Bun. The Church Hall was filled with not only beautiful things but with lovely people I have been gradually getting to know through the blogging world.

It was funny to be greeted by cries of ‘Planet Penny? You must be Higgins’ Mummy!’ There were a lot of people disappointed he didn’t put in an appearance, but I think he would have cramped our style a little. Emma from Silver Pebble was there, with a gorgeous display of her jewelry, and since she had asked me take along one of my Robins to buy, a little bargaining and bartering meant that she could go home with the Robin of her choice, and I had these wonderful earings.

I had gone with Christmas shopping in mind, but it’s going to be hard to part with this set of little notebooks from The Lapwing Printworks

– I actually need to write down my Cunning Plans – and this soap from Perfect Scents is heavenly.

Later on in the town we visited Verandah, a shop run by a co-operative of artists ( where I always want to spend too much money), and where I found these pottery Christmas decorations.

See how focused I am? Well there are only 34 days to go!

But I didn’t just spend money yesterday, I MADE some! How amazing is that? I actually sold FIVE Robins! Why I have so little confidence in what I do that I have taken so long to get to grips with marketing it I don’t know. I think it’s the curse of working alone, in a vacuum. And although I’ve been gaining confidence thanks to all you lovely people and your positive feedback, I really needed to be shoved off that diving board so I could start swimming. Special mention must go to Emma, and to Celia of Purple Podded Peas, and my fellow procrastinators!

And that wasn’t the end of it. I got home to a request to buy one of my cushions!!

Kerching!

For the first time in a long time I ended the day richer than when I started!

So here I am, thinking positive. I hope I can spread it around, there are lots of talented people in blogland hiding their lights under the proverbial bushel, you can do it too!

P.S. This post took a little longer than intended. Half way through, Higgins’ magic nose detected the sweetie Tim dropped down the side of the reclining armchair. Have you ever tried to remove a dachshund from the inside of an armchair? In another life, I’d have Truffle Hound… In reality, a Jelly Bean Hound. Probably just right for Planet Penny…