umm ... one year later ... And tomato

After a year of not blogging, I thought I might try. It took me about half an hour to get the right email address, and another half an hour to work out the password =/ but anyway I managed to log on, and I am guessing that my aunt is going to be very shocked.

Last month my Dad went to Tokyo, Japan. And I got him to go to tomato for me. tomato is an amazing fabric shop with 6 levels!!!! this is someones blog about her going to tomato . anyway I got my Dad to buy me some fabric =] the fabric is quite big and I'm planning on making a patchwork dog, with some help from my amazing aunt in the summer. At the moment I'm thinking of making an Amy Butler bag with the fabric, like this, from her 'in stiches' book

this is the 'tomato' bag, proof that he did go. and got all of these amazing fabrics from Tokyo.

this piece is amazing. My Dad said this is very Japanese, with the red and gold and the pattern

i love this one.

this one has little tomatoes on!

these are little birds with a music note and a little red flower

I love this fabric because it has little mice and cheese, it's so cute

this is a pack with ten pieces of fabric in, they have all types of flowers over.

I love the reds and shapes in this pack of ten

this pack has lots of little flowers all over the ten pieces.

I love all of the these, they are all amazing!!! I can't wait to start using them!

hope you had a good last year =]

emma

xx

XD XD XD

Easter

Finally, I have got around to blog about Easter.  Time always runs away with me and there are always other things to be done before I get to the computer.  Well,  as you know, just before Easter there was a large gathering of bloggers for a fab picnic at Millets Farm, Abingdon.  

At the picnic we had a crafty swap that the Locket had organised and I was very lucky to receive a fab gift from Kitty which included one of her renowned sock monkeys, a chocolate bunny and two fab fat quarters, as shown.

Then there was the naming ceremony for my newly acquired sock monkey and all agreed it should have a name relating to the day and bloggy monkey would not do.  We decided Millet was a good name but not enough so my daughter Emma and Locket's eldest Dot came up with Billy 

after their fav film at the moment "Twilight".  So "Billy Millet" was born.

My daughter Emma had made a crafty prezzie too which was inspired by the work she has been doing for her GCSE Textiles.  It was a Mola, which are made by the Kuna women of Panama. It involves layering different fabrics and then stitching a design through all the layers of fabric and then cutting away the first layer around all the stitching (leaving the black border) and then cut away each additional layer to reveal the coloured fabric you wish for that section of your design. She then decorated her fish by sewing on sequins (she also batiked the purple fabric herself - wow!).

Well, enough from me, I have had a day full of dentists today - me at 9.15 this morning, Peter an Orthodontist appt in Kidlington at 12.45 and Emma an Orthodontist appointment at the John Radcliffe in Oxford at 3.30 and what's more they are making changes to Emma's brace and I need to go back again on Friday at midday - how is a girl meant to go to work!

Happy Easter

Now that my little sister has managed to log me back in to my blog (she does occasionally have her uses) I will hopefully be updating my blog very shortly.

I know you are all waiting with baited breath to see what big (and now bossy) sister has got to say especially about the recent bloggy picnic!

Snow Snow Snow!

My two enjoying their day off school. Unfortunately some of us still have to go to work once the roads are clear enough to drive on.

Hope all of you that have snow today are out enjoying it too.

Late Blog By The Fab Daugther

Hey everyone sorry my mum hasn't blogged for aaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssss so I'm filling in for her.

HAPPY NEW YEAR even if it is too late

Every year we make Christmas cards. Last year I drew a robin in the style of Romero Britto.

We sent the drawing off to get printed this is how it turned out

And for my thank you card I did a flower in the same style 

For Christmas I got a great book to make felt mascots its really helpful and easy to make.  From my fab aunt.

Thanks Aunt!

I made this monkey from the book, I think it turned out well.   I might make the rabbit next, that is on the front page.

At school, I'm doing GCSE textiles and art. I have drawn an A grade tone and pencil piece of work in art, so my teacher says.  This is part of the first final piece I have done on the subject 'structures'.   I guess, you can guess what it is.

It was me, who drew it.

Sorry it's been so long, I guess I will have to be updating it from now on.

Ally Locket's daugther Emma xox

PS  Written while I was out having a nice meal at our local Indian with my DB.

Ally x

Advent Calendar and Knitted Socks

After a lot of badgering by my little sister – and a few others, I have managed to find time to put together a second post.

Although we had a busy weekend with family visiting Emma and I still found time to make our annual advent calendar, with a twist this year. We have been looking at all the fantastic Christmas trees in blogland made out of old magazines and catalogues and thought we would adapt this idea to make an advent calendar.

Normally (since the children were at playschool!) we would make a cone shape and hide the sweets inside the cone and then attach the strings holding the sweets to stars with the days of advent printed on them. As the children are much older now – 13 and 15 we have been adapting this idea to suit. I like making this type of advent calendar as you can choose the types of sweets without having to buy the mass produced chocolate advent calendars. This year we have some very fancy seahorse shaped chocolates, if you know the ones I mean.

I also thought I would show you my knitting effort in this post:

This is courtesy of little sis again who gave me the wool, needles and pattern for Christmas last year. As you can see I have only just got started with the first sock but if ever I finish them they will be a very funky pair of knitted socks to keep my tootsies warm in this cold weather. Any bets on when I will finish them?

Well, here goes, my first post!

Thank you for all my lovely comments and albeit it rather late thank you so much for all the lovely crafty presents I received from the bloggy meet in London. It was very kind of you all to include me as well.

You will be pleased to hear that I have been crafty this weekend while looking after my friends children while parents went Christmas shopping. The girls (aged 13 & 12) made these, courtesy of "fan my flame".

I think it was quite an achievement as they made them all on their own as I was busy making blueberry muffins.

I say I was busy making these but in fact it was made by my friends nearly 10 year old son. They looked absolutely fab and tasted delicious.

Well, I say I have been crafty but as you can see the children have - does that count?