Big Excitement!

I received a message on my folksy shop the other day to tell me that one of my pincushions for sale will be featured in  "Creative Crafting Online Magazine"

I am chuffed to bits as they say in these parts! 

There is a link to the site on the left of my blog - and it should be in there from 1st October! 

so - huge grins abound in the JuicyFig household :~)

I have been neglecting my 'creative space' contributions, so today set out to make a new cushion for my folksy shop

 The pile of cushions is growing and growing, poor baby Fig's bedroom that was commandeered in her absence is now full of not only her stuff, but a mountain of cushions that are for ever being re-stacked to prevent a land slide in the night!

The latest is in Heather Bailey Fabrics - I am terrible for collecting fabric then not wanting to use it because it's just too nice, it has taken a lot of will power to get the rotary cutter to them - I hope that now I have used some I have broken my obsession and can now start to plough through lots of fabric to make room for more of course!

The last days of summer

if there is one constant in life, it is change. On Sunday my Dad phoned me and asked if I would take him to hospital, he has had angina for years but has recently been suffering from chest pains. His doctor had booked him in to see the cardiologist in October - but he had had a few bad nights and had taken some convincing from us all to get it seen too a bit quicker. 

I took him over to Blackburn Royal's A&E - it was heaving, and we thought we would be waiting for hours, but of course as soon as he mentioned chest pain they took him straight to triage, hooked him up to an ECG and before we knew it they had rushed him to the next department, hooked him up to all sorts of monitors, taken blood etc. 

It turns out he had suffered a mild heart attack. 

On Monday he had an angioplast and a stent fitted, and yesterday I brought him home! 

They could not have dealt with him faster or better - and we are all feeling a huge sense of relief he is back home with us with strict instructions to call an ambulance next time and not wait for his daughter to fetch him in!

As I have been too distracted to do much crafting, I thought I would treat you to a few shots of Billington and Whalley - I have lived here all my life, and like they say, no matter where you roam, there really is no place like home...

Even though we live in a small mill terrace, the view at the top is from our front door - the river is about 100 yards away, and this is our view as we walk into the village

then we cross the river and head towards Whalley through the old abbey gatehouse, built about 1500 years ago

Elderberries drape themselves over the garden walls next to the vicarage

and the ivy at this time of years throws out it's strange flower heads...

And outside the local primary school that I attended, as did my daughter, nieces, brother, father, auntie, grandfather and grandmother and their parents too! we found 'penny buns' growing - hubby was dying to pick them to fry up with some butter - but as he is on soya spreads these days I convinced him it wouldn't be worth it - so we left them for the kids to see.

I find a good walk around familiar territory can be good for the soul!

So - summer is giving in, and autumn is truly upon us - lets just hope it stays a little sunny!

The Hungry Caterpillar

Autumn - amazing colours that are gone before you know it - natures last exhibition before she shuts down for the winter! - I know how she feels sometimes...on the sunny autumn days when the air is crisp, the leaves crunch under foot and gather round your wellies, you can see your breath in the air, but the sun can still warm you through given the chance - mmmm lovely.

I have just finished a couple of warming items for folksy - a Noro neck warmer and a patchwork quilt to snuggle under.

After being a dozy so and so the other day and managing to get myself locked out and waiting for hubby and the pooch to return I photographed these guys (is a blogger ever without a camera?) 

They had grow considerably in the couple of days since I first spotted them - I think they are great white - yes yes, I know they look black and yellow...

and look! after scoffing my nasturtiums, he has left a special little 'gift' for me.

We have been inundated with spiders this past couple of weeks as well - this is a particularly angry looking one I think! mind you if they all keep insisting on building there webs across doorways, they should expect to catch humans in their webs!!!

 

Tuesday - the new Monday...

Since baby Fig moved back home less than 2 weeks ago, the house and my head have been in turmoil! 

Currently she works Tuesday to Saturday, so very quickly her 'weekend' has become ours - meaning my so called working week also starts on a Tuesday when peace and quiet return to the household and I can actually get on with my life! 

I am in the middle of some sort if Identity crisis as well - trying to figure out what my own particular style is when it comes to crafts, decorating etc...

You see, I love mad crazy vibrant colours - but - I also love calm peaceful colours, I love clutter, and order, new and vintage...you get the idea.

Consequently I find what I am putting into my folksy shop is not quite one thing or another - it all seams a bit dis-jointed somehow.

on the other hand does it really matter? Do I need a clear cut image? or will one that hasn't quite made it's mind up ok? 

I have been like this all my life! what is a girl to do? oh well, just enjoy it all I suppose.

so - happy Autumn - and here is a pretty bad photo of my new crocheted shopping bag made from cotton bought at last Novembers knitting and stitching show at Harrogate.

Things to do on a wet Sunday in September...

What a week it has been, rotten weather, the nights drawing in, baby fig has moved back home along with enough 'junk' er, I mean belongings, to fill every room in my house and my mothers!

My fantastic Mum was 70 on Thursday - she was very upset that only 1 person said "ooh, you certainly don't look 70!". We celebrated with a family meal cooked by yours truly at mummsies house, a memorable meal after the oven broke half way through me cooking the leg of lamb,  the chip shop round the corner going up in flames and filling the house with acrid oil and plastic fumes, and our paper lanterns failing to fly off into the night, preferring to drip scalding wax all over my feet instead! 

On the up side (although with this much rain it is difficult to spot silver linings!) I had some great feed back from my box making workshop, sold a kit, and am booked to do ANOTHER box workshop in Clitheroe this time, and may be getting a couple of wholesale kit orders from the same shops! to celebrate I made this cute pumpkin pin cushion for Halloween - and popped him on folksy!

The Box Making Workshop

On Tuesday this week I taught my first craft class - a full day workshop making fabric covered boxes - and it was fab! 

The class was very small, 3 lovely ladies had booked, none of whom had made these before, they were surprised we actually built the box from scratch, thinking we would be covering a ready made box. 

I had made a sample for the shop in their chosen fabrics, and all 3 ladies wanted to make the patchwork tops for their boxes, meaning we didn't quite get them finished, but everyone left with about 30 minutes sewing left to do at home, and eager to finish them - I ended up buying this tilda fabric and making a box at the same time - it was amazing to see 4 identical shaped boxes  look completely diferent from each other just because of the fabrics we all chose

Here are the workshop tables with everyones heads missing for camera shyness reasons! :~)

you can see the boxes starting to take shape - looking inside out at this point!

I really wanted to get photo's of everyone with their finished box - one lady has promised to e-mail me a photo of hers - I can't wait to see it! 

This particular box size and shape is now for sale as a kit in my folksy shop, including all the precut mount board, wadding and full instructions!

I am still working on the tutorial!!!