Blog Giveaway: vintage fabric lavender rabbit

I blogged a little while ago about my new vintage fabric lavender rabbits and how they reminded me of my childhood spirograph toy. It kept me amused for hours - who needs a Wii when you can play with a pencil and some plastic cogs to make hundreds of geeky patterns?!



I think my all time favourite childhood Christmas present was my Sindy house. I loved it the minute I set eyes on it that Christmas morning, probably around 1983. My dedicated Father stayed up most of the night putting it together on Christmas Eve!

So in the spirit of nostalgia and with the festive gift-giving season around the corner, I'm going to run a blog giveaway where you tell me your favourite childhood Christmas present!

How to enter
Leave a comment below telling me your favourite childhood Christmas present. The winner will be picked at random on November 22nd.
**If you enter this giveaway, please state clearly your email address, OR your Facebook/Twitter/Etsy username, so I can contact you in case you win**

The prize
Up for grabs is a Spirograph lavender rabbit in orange and yellow.
This giveaway is open to worldwide entries, but I am afraid I cannot post this rabbit to Australia due to strict custom restrictions on dried lavender.

Dates
This giveaway runs from the 8th November 2010 to Midnight (GMT) 22nd November 2010.

Good Luck!


I am also currently offering free worldwide shipping on all Vintage Fabric Totes and Clutch Purses from 25th October until Christmas Day on December 25th in my Etsy store

Birthday Bunting - complete!

I blogged a little while ago about the Birthday Bunting I was sewing for my baby girl's first birthday. I wanted to do a follow-up post with some photos of the finished project, so here they are! I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. It was a joint effort between me and my Mum, we both used different stitches, but I think that adds to the handmade effect.





As I mentioned in the previous post, I wanted to make something that would last for years and become something of an annual tradition. I will stop hanging the bunting out when she's about 23 and can't stand it any longer! Maybe she will love it so much, she will use it for her own children, who knows.



We had such a lovely day on her birthday, we had cakes...



balloons...



presents...



It felt like a huge milestone and I was very proud of her on the day as she soaked up the attention and took the whole day in her stride. This past year has been amazing, a real rollercoaster of emotions, highs and lows. I feel like I have packed more into the past 365 days than I have ever done. I'm looking forward to the coming years, her personality is really starting to emerge...and I think she's going to be quite a character!

Finalist in the Ecouterre Recycled Denim Challenge

Pouch has been selected as a finalist in the Ecouterre Recycled Denim Challenge! It would be great if my blog readers could take a moment to vote for my entry here

I submitted a "Reversible Recycled Denim Handbag". It is 100 percent recycled; even the straps are made from an upcycled denim waistband. The bag also has no visible seams, so it is completely reversible, making this two totes in one!

The challenge is designed to showcase innovative recycling ideas using denim fabric. I am so excited to be selected for the final vote! There are some great ideas featured, so take a look at all the finalists here

Free Worldwide shipping on all totes and purses

I'm offering free worldwide shipping on all Vintage Fabric Totes and Clutch Purses from 25th October until Christmas Day on December 25th in my Etsy store!

So that's two whole months of free shipping, perfect for grabbing a Christmas gift (or perhaps a treat for yourself!)

To see my full range, please click here

I am based in the United Kingdom, so if you are buying something as a gift and would like to receive it before Christmas, please take note of the Royal Mail postal dates listed below:

6TH DECEMBER (Airmail) - South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia and New Zealand

10TH DECEMBER (Airmail) - USA and Canada, Eastern Europe

13TH DECEMBER (Airmail) - Western Europe

18th DECEMBER (2nd class) - UK
21ST DECEMBER (1st Class) - UK

vintage love: Bandaid tin

I remember as a child my Mum whipping up many Clothkits outfits on her trusty Singer machine (which incidentally, I now own). Whilst my Mum was busy sewing, she would let me look through her sewing box.



This usually involved me emptying everything out onto the floor and searching for my favourite things: her handmade needlecase; the silver bullet-shaped object that held her pins; the thimbles. Above all I loved to tip out this Bandaid tin which was filled with buttons, mainly red ones as I recall. I never seemed to tire of doing this, funny the things that amuse a four year old!



A few weeks ago I was moaning about never having enough safety pins. A few days later my Mum gave me the Bandaid tin filled to bursting with pins. I'm really grateful she parted with it as it now sits on my shelf and reminds me of my childhood. Is it possible to be sentimental about a tin? Yes, I think in this case, it is...

Creating a workspace

I have spent the past couple of days doing a bit of reorganisation in our house. I have always wanted a space where I could leave my sewing machine out permanently. I'm a bit fed up of perching the machine on the side of the kitchen table. So I decided to empty a bureau in my office and move it to the downstairs hallway. I sorted through five years worth of paperwork, old photos, a teapot (yes teapot) and even a teddy bear. And boy was it cathartic! Our recycling bag is breaking at the seams now and I have a huge pile of shredding to do at some point.



I then installed a lovely table thrifted for £5 at a local 'save the church roof' type of affair. I remember the struggle we had to get it in the back of the car. But, I was *not* leaving without it!



Now, I know in the grand scheme of workspaces, mine is right down there at the bottom of the scale, but hey, just having a sewing table is luxury for me! Hopefully some shelves to display my vintage finds will soon follow, few more pictures on the wall and I will have my own little crafting haven...

work in progress: new bag design

My baby girl has had gastroenteritis for the past couple of days, it's not been easy for all of us. We've had broken nights and a growing pile of messed-up sheets and pyjamas to contend with. This is the first 'proper' illness she's had, so I count myself lucky. Plus it will help with her immunity, little babies are bound to pick up the odd bug along the way.



So the past couple of days have been craft-free, but I did start working on a new bag at the start of last week. It's a variation on an old design, I'm hoping it will be something of an improvement design-wise. I also don't need much of an excuse to work with some of my favourite vintage fabric - a piece of Moygashel Pinto in lovely shades of blue, green and purple. I will blog more photos of the end product as soon as I get a chance!