Alphabet Blocks - another Ava present

Inspired by these Alexander Girard alphabet blocks

I bought a Dremmel and started engraving 30 (!) 5cm wooden blocks with the alphabet.  After almost 1 alphabet was complete, I realised how thick I was and that this was a stupidly mammoth project that was never going to get finished.

So this is what they ended up looking like:

PJ's are another Christmas pressie.

I just love those little starfish fingers...

...and the concentration needed to build a tower.

 

I ended up using the Actopus to Zelephant scrap book papers.  2 sides have the alphabet letters - the size of the alphabet paper is absolutely perfect for 5cm blocks.  2 sides are puzzles - rather advanced puzzles I must admit (frogs on 1 and butterflies/leaves on the other).  2 sides are just patterns.  But all sides are great for grouping and sorting activities.  Daddy tlf kindly filled my previous dremmel botch and sanded the blocks nice and smooth and I modge podged all the paper on.  It didn't take too long, but was still quite a time consuming project for evenings only.

Now I just have to figure out what to store them in.  I had planned on sewing a draw string bag for Christmas...but that was one of the time-casualities.

Enjoy!

Pretty New Things in the Shop

Colourful new bits and bobs have been added to my shops....valentine kits, mug cosies, soft and cuddly nappy covers...

As always, custom requests are warmly welcomed!

Enjoy!

AWoL - Too Many Gifts to Make

Oh boy am I glad that Christmas has now been and gone.  I ended up making wayyy too many presents...especially for Ava.  Why is it that a simple little idea can more often take the longest time to finish?

All tlf work has been shelved for too long...what with all the crafting that has been going on in this house.  Let's not mention all the usual house and home related stuff that has to be taken care of too - who knew that 2 little girls could generate so much washing!?  Especially now that Chloe eats just like her big sister (which also means massive exploding nappy loads than lead to yet more clothing changes - tmi? sorry), but really messy like.

Anyhow, I thought that I would share some of the gifts that I made.  First up are these little wooden people - or us as a wooden family - a gift for Ava.

Mommy, Daddy, Ava, Chloe, Daisy and Poppy

hmmm...why is this dress style so familiar to me?

Now this dress is really familiar....

So, our dogs, Daisy and Poppy, are miniature sausage dogs.  These balls are teeny tiny!  Like less than 2cm diameter teeny tiny.  The big question was always going to be "how the heck do you turn a sausage into a ball????!".  Let alone the issue of painting the details of a black dog.  They turned out ok, we can even tell the difference between the 2.  Poppy is chunkier (am being polite here) than Daisy.  Which one do you reckon is Poppy?

Am rather pleased with how they turned out.  But, I had to cut this project short, I still have more to paint and just ran out of time.  2 grannies and 2 grampa's are still to join our family.

I searched high and low here in the UK for similar wooden dolls.  I ended up buying these dolls (and a whole bunch of wooden coins) from Goose Grease Undone on Etsy, in the US.  One of the dolls arrived with a serious head wound.  I contacted them and they posted me a replacement straight away.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone else.  Their shops are worth a visit, if not anything else than to see the custom dolls they sell....immaculately and beautifully painted!

Enjoy!

Another Dress! This time a bit more subdued

This 2-3yr size dress has just been listed for sale in my shop.

I am extra pleased with this one.  The grey fabric is so deliciously thick, but soft and stretchy and warm.  If I had had a bigger piece of the grey fabric I would have made myself something warm and cosy, and this dress would never had materialised (pun intended!).

Lovely to wear with jeans, or go crazy mad with colour and put your toddler in blindingly bright leggings for dazzling winter warmth.

New Dresses in the Shops

Ok, so I know that there are other things waiting to be finished and posted for sale....but I have been carried away with these cute dresses that Ava adores.  The pink and green one neeeeaaaarly didn't make it to the shop.  It was hanging in our bedroom when she saw it and immediately claimed it: "Ava's new dress!!".  I had to whip it out of reach quick sticks.

The dress that Ava is wearing is a little shorter than the other dresses - more tunic length.

My mom made the sweet crochet heart, which has been stuck down with iron on adhesive as well as stitched on for extra security.  I plan on making more hearts as well as other motifs for embellishing these dresses. My aim is that each and every one will have something super special about it.

The dresses are made with the same love and care that I put into all of Ava and Chloe's clothes.  They are also unique, there will only ever be 1 like it, so you know that your little person is wearing something as special as they are.

You can find the dresses via Etsy or TLF shops.

Sneak Peaks

Coming soon....

The hippo's are all ready to be sewn and stuffed.

The tea towel print needs some minor adjustments (and I need hubby to make me a longer screen) and then they are ready to go!  The picture is printed along the bottom of the towel and there will be some fun text across the top of the tea towel.  I am SUPER excited about these.  The picture is hand drawn, which gives it a lovely fluid and relaxed feel.

A 2 1/2 year old colouring demonstration:

....my little budding Picasso.

Indian Summer Gift

As our doors to the garden are wide open

The washing on the line being buffeted in the breeze

and the dogs tanning their bellies

I give you a 20% discount code

Please use SUNNY20 on checkout in either my Etsy shop or the Two Little Flowers shop.  This discount will last until 2 October

You can say thanks to the lovely Indian summer we are having here in the UK for the present

Now, all I need to make my day perfect, is for Chloe to sleep!  Ava is at nursery, so I should be getting *things* done....not so, what with a wide awake 4 month old....

PS - If you prefer purchasing from Etsy and don't see what you are looking for, or need

 more of a particular item, please message me and I will add what you are looking for to the shop.