Almost 10 days - Whoops!

I've been a bit slack here lately.  Probably because I have become a little bit Instagram obsessed...much to Flower Daddies disgust.  But, there is just so.much.to.see there!!!  Have you been on?  Who are your favourite people to follow?

Chloe has also been sick for almost 2 weeks.  Some kind of virus targeting little children - flu-like symptoms with an added bonus of crippling lethargy and exhaustion.  Poor little chicken.

Here are a few IG pics of what has been going on around here lately.

I made Ava 6 pairs of panties from this pattern.  She totally loves them...and her little buns look so cute in them!

We have been attempting to grow veggie seedlings from seed.  This picture shows radishes, spinach and beans.  We have also planted lettuce, tomato, courgette, cucumbers and mielies.  Unfortunately, the spinach seems to be pegging off...

I sent off my fabric swap panels - all 3 panels went west over the seas.

....and have received 1 panel in return so far.  Cute, right?

I made this pouch, which I will soon be selling as a pouch or cross-body bag or shoulder bag - your choice!

I finished this little ripple doll blanket.  Waaaaaay early, for Ava's 4th birthday next month.  I used leftover yarn from the human sized blanket...which is still very much an ongoing project!

I begged found time to print a few panels of white petals, which I am rather smitten with at the moment.  When the light is kind I will take a few photo's and get these panels listed in my shops.

And Today, we made these little rainbow crayons in a mini muffin tin.  Less than 144 crayons made 24 little rainbows of fun.  They are intended to be party favours at Ava's very first birthday party!

Have a fantastic Easter and long weekend.  Eat too much chocolate.  Get up late.  Wear pyjamas until lunch time and enjoy being surrounded by family...!

PS - you can find me on instagram at twolittleflowers :)

Happy Valentines Day!

The little flowers made these at nursery this week.  Ava took a little convincing to get paint-dirty and Chloe apparently ate as much glitter and glue as what is on her card.  I can't believe that these 2 little chickens will soon be 4 and 2....!

Blazing Heat to Freezing Cold

Hello...hello!  Happy New Year - yes, yes, I know, 22 days late.  Better late than never....

Well, it was mad rush getting ready to leave our house for 5 weeks.  Remembering to pack the necessities, as well as Christmas presents and doing our best to leave the kitchen sink in the kitchen at home.  That was 7 weeks ago already!  We have been back for a little over a week now.

After a wonderful 5 week visit home, we left Cape Town on a gorgeously warm Thursday evening, arriving in London early on a relatively warm Friday morning, only to be plunged into below freezing temperatures on the weekend.  A few days later the chilly weather produced some snow for us.

Cold + wet + low grey skies = ick!

Freezing + cold + snow = YiPEE!

 

Walking to work on Monday morning was lovely.  I grinned for the whole 20min walk, even a grumpy old man moaning about the snow couldn't take my snow-happy-grin off my face.  I took these photo's around 8am, before the snow had been trampled to sludgy brown moosh.  The top picture is of Russell Square.  There are lots of paths in that park - this was the only path visible, the others were still completely covered in lovely fluffy, crunchy, fresh snow.

This one is Bloomsbury Square.  See the snowman?

...and the snow cat?

I love that some smarty pants used a bin for his hat!  He was a happy sight, bringing smiles to a lot of people...there were still some grumpy pants that couldn't crack a grin....

I won't share with you what that lovely snow man looked like by the end of the day.  Some kids obviously had a wonderful time slicing him into bits.  The cat too.

Our garden is still covered in white.  I am surprised to see white every time I look out the window... weird.

I am having a hard time keeping up with 2013, but I hope to share a few sunshiney pictures of our holiday soon.  Also, after travelling such a long distance with the girls, I have a few hints/tips/insights about travelling with young children to share.  All in good time...

In the meanwhile, how is your 2013 treating you?

Not Much, but Really, a Lot

There is a lot of crafty Christmas present stuff happening here...by light at night.  All in preparation for our imminent Summer Holiday.  I get little to no time during the day to do much crafting.  Actually - the thought of sitting behind my sewing machine or with needle and thread and attempting to sew while Chloe (in particular) is around is enough to send me into melt-down!  Those little inquisitive, grabby fingers, that strong little climby body, those clumsy trippy feet - which result in many bumps, bruises and eina's....the hiding of scissors, pins, pens, WiPs and pretty much everything else in my sewing space...the resolving of sisterly disputes - WW3 in disguise!  The shouting - that would be me.  Far. too. much. shouting.

Actually, that pretty much sums up any time spent with us 3 girls...

Ava's artboard is full up.  She has 2 magnetic boards and both are overflowing.  I find it hard to throw away her masterpieces.  When the girls get bored of paper, pretty much anything else is game for the crayons and koki's.  That would be Chloe's influence.  It never occurred to Ava to draw on the floor, furniture, table, oven, windows until Chloe did!  At least they are washable.  But, for fear of me blowing a fuse, I have hidden them.

In between cleaning crayon off the floor, I have been trying to get the washing dry.  It has been pretty darn cold here.  There is a pile of ice outside that hasn't defrosted for 3 days.

Ralph the Elf is visiting from the North Pole.  He arrived yesterday.  I would imagine that his reports to HQ so far are pretty mixed...

Sewing Non-Starter

It has not been the greatest week ever.  On Sunday, Chloe had a very croaky voice - which *hanging my head in shame* I found rather cute and amusing.  Since then, we have barely slept.  Cold + teeth = a very unhappy little Chloe.  Painkillers aren't helping and she doesn't want to eat anything except yoghurt....poor little sausage...  Plus, with all her drooling and spitting and sneezing - she has kindly shared her germs with me.

Tonight we have given in and she is snuggling next to Flower Daddy on the couch.  We desperately needed a break from the constant upstairs-downstairs business of the last 4 nights.  I never get to see her like this - all still and quiet and sleeping.  Normally I am chasing after her and plucking her off of whatever it is that she has decided to climb.

So - to say that I have not lifted a sewing related finger for KCWC would be an understatement.  The closest I have come to doing anything is to pull out the latest Ottobre magazine, pens and tracing paper....with lots of good intentions.  I am knackered and my nose is streaming.  That is my excuse and I am sticking to it!  I suppose that I should be tracing those patterns now instead of writing this?

I need those gorgeous fabrics from Ottobre to arrive to give me some va-va-voom!  Mushrooms and Little Red Riding Hood are needed!  Never mind the half made dress (for me) sitting on my sewing table waiting for my attention....

Thieves in the Night

Tonight, every little noise is giving me the heeby-jeebies and creeping me out.

We were up around midnight last night, with a restless Chloe.  Around 12:30, while I was sitting quietly with her, I heard rattling noises - like a stair gate or hot water pipes under the floor boards jiggling about.  The noise stopped.  Then, lying in bed a few minutes later I heard it again.  Definitely different noises to what our house usually makes.  I asked Flower Daddy what he thought the noise was, at which point he hopped out of bed and eventually looked out of the window.  Only to see someone in our garden!

*** You might remember that we are doing some paving work around our house - so we kind of look like we are in the middle of a construction zone - piles of gravel and paving blocks in our front garden and some big heavy tools 'safely' in our back garden. ***

Holy Moly!!

I called 999.

The lady on the phone reassured me that the police would be here soon...all the while asking questions about what we could see, where the people were, what they were doing, how many of them there were.  The stuff of Crime Watch.  Although it was dark inside and outside the house, we didn't want to move the curtains too much - and disappointingly I could only just make out 2 darkly hooded shapes - slim build, tall and seemingly young.

When I watch crime programs on TV, I always wonder how the victims couldn't see anything.....always thought that I would be more observant...

Around the point when the lady said the police were about 30 seconds away, the thieves disappeared from view.  The police just missed the buggers!

Next thing, there was bright torch light being swept over ours and our neighbours garden with about 5 police men looking around.  One man even jumped over our back fence.

We eventually realised that the thieves had got into our garden via our side gate.  The gate was open, with the heavy duty brass combination lock missing.  So all that rattling that had alerted us was them climbing over the gate and someone from the outside of the gate trying to cut the padlock.  There must have been more than 2 of them.  The policeman said that they take the padlock with them, because they know that it is the only thing that the police could get finger prints from - something smooth and shiny and clean.

The only thing missing was a whopping heavy (and rented) paving block cutter, which Flower Daddy assures me needs at least 2 men to carry.  I guess it's the perfect thing to take to one of the scrap metal places and get money for!

So now, the 'what-ifs' and 'thank goodnesses' are left rattling around in my little head.  What if that chunk of metal was not enough for them and they had wanted the TV, or more?  What if they had broken into the house - then what?  Thank goodness they didn't break into the house and thank goodness we didn't have to find out what would have happened then!  What if they come back for more?  What if I had had my camera upstairs - I could have taken a photo of those personal space invaders!!

Tonight, every creak and crunch and tick and rattle makes my ears prick.  I have the heeby jeebies in a much, much, much bigger way than I thought I would have.  I worry about the girls in bed.  I worry what would happen if someone were to get into the house and how we would get everyone into a single room.

I just worry.

This weekend, you can be very sure that we will be putting up our video camera's, which have been sitting in a box for far too long.

Dear Chloe

Let me just start by saying how much I love you, how quiet and different life would be without you...I would be devastated if you were not here.

One day, I hope that you have your own children.  Not so that I can have grand children.  I am far to young to be wanting grand children, yet!  I would like for you to have your own child/ren, so that you can have a taste of your own medicine.  I am fairly certain that my mother felt the same about me.

Here is why I hope for grand children...so that every day you can:

• be whacked in the eye
• cracked on the head with a very heavy little head - at least once a day
• be awake by 6am...at the latest....EVERY day
• ...and be at the mercy of a fully wound child from the moment that her eyes open
• be elbowed in the boob, regularly
• mop water and milk off the floor every 5 minutes
• be screamed/head butted/pushed and pulled at while food is prepared - you have a bit of a see-food-want-food-now issue
• follow your child around - retrieving her from:
• window sills
• tables - including my sewing table!
• standing on and tipping little chairs over
• and stopping her from climbing into the bath full of water
• mop up the flood when the dog water bowl is tipped over
• rescue brushes, paper, clothing, hair clips... from the toilet
• change the poopy nappy of a baby that does not want to lie down
• clean the floor of food every single time your child eats
• ....especially the cheerios and milk that are dumped on the floor when you have had enough
• so that you can see what you are able to squeeze into that precious nap hour
• polish those dents in the floor, from whatever is is that you have just thrown, so that Daddy doesn't see them and get cross
• so that you can have a never-ending stream of teeny tiny clothes to wash and hang
• stop your child from acting like superman off of the couch and bean bag
• clean off food and drink that has been smeared into the couch
• have your furniture used as a jungle gym
• ...and have your protests and threats completely ignored

You are only just 16mths old, but - oh man! - you are the noisiest, most busy and active, destructive, messy and trouble causing little monster that I have ever experienced.  I thought that girls were supposed to be easy?

But then also, so that you have a little person to:

• sew cute clothes for
• hug and cuddle
• give you wet little kisses
• give pigtails to - that first pigtail is the cutest

A Teensy Bit of Craftiness

Somehow, *things* seem to be really busy at home right now.  A lot of it being mischief making, with these two monkeys.  But mostly to do with the building work going on - really just paving...but a whole lot of it - Flower Daddy doing some of the work himself, at weekends too.  All in all, I am getting very little time to be crafty.  It is sending me a little bonkers.

But, yesterday, Ava had an afternoon snooze which kind of co-ordinated with Chloe's snooze.  Ava sleeping during the day means a  v-e-r-y  very late night...so not a great idea...especially with the crankiness that follows the next day.  Anyhow, it meant that I was able to sew a little.

So...did I sew something useful...or something for me to wear....or something for one of the girls to wear...?

Nope!

I sewed a dolls nappy!  Ava keeps using Chloe's 4+ nappies on her dolls.  It looks a bit ridiculous - nappy to armpit...  The nappy fabric is my new dandilion print in gold.  Which I rather love.  It was a scrap test piece.  {I based the nappy pattern on this one}

Oh...my camera also broke.  So, pics are a bit ick from my phone.

I will be requesting some *me time* this weekend of Flower Daddy.  I have new fabric that needs tending to - printing and sewing, pj's that need making and general sewing space tidy-upping!

If my request can not be fulfilled... I might just spontaneously combust.

Lots Happening Here Today

While Chloe has a snooze and Ava is having a little quiet time...I am sketching a new design....Daisy is sun-tanning and the digger is digging (we are paving out the back of our house - and the front - and building a few outside walls).  The house is surrounded by very sticky mud.  Which means muddy doggy paws and tricky entering/exiting of the house with the girls....

Generally, it is pretty darn hectic at home right now.

It was definitely more peaceful at work!  Even although my 'week' was filled with deadlines!!

Later today, I am hoping to be allowed out the house to go and collect some new fabric - the fabric that I mentioned on Monday.

I would love to hear what you are doing today?

Almost Dead Sewing Machine

My sewing machine was stabbed...by itself...with it's own needle.  I thought that it was going to depart me for sewing machine heaven; or at the very least that I was going to have to pay someone an arm and a leg to fix it.  I must admit that I did panic.  That is until I realised that there was a little screw just waiting there for me to unscrew and try and fix my beeeeg boo boo.

This all happened while I was finishing Chloe's hooded bath towel.  Her second towel.  I started 2 for her about 8 months ago.  The first one was finished straight away, but this one needed a pretty fabric trim...and so was never finished.  Not that a fabric trim is hard work; it just needed brain power and a few minutes of uninterrupted peace and quiet for me to think.

Back to my almost dead sewing machine. 

I unscrewed that little screw....and other than the horror of a whole heap of fluff!  I found that the needle had bedded itself into my bobbin holder.

I have had my sewing machine for 3 years.  I am ashamed to say that I have never de-fluffed her.

Fortunately the bobbin holder slipped right out.

Yikes!  Right through the plastic!  I am sure as heck happy that was not my finger!  Luckily the needled wriggled easily enough out of there.

Thank goodness it wasn't actually as bad as it first seemed.

I plucked out the wads of fluff and used one of the girls paint brushes to clean out the rest of the fluff.

The brush that came with my machine was a tad bit pathetic.  The fluff just slipped straight off of it, which meant that any fluff in the places that a little brush could get and my fingers could not would have been stuck there for eternity. 

Ta dah!  All beautiful and sparkly and clean!

The purple trimmed towel is Ava's towel.  I made hers about 2 years ago.  The yellow trimmed towel is Chloe's newly trimmed towel.  They each have a second towel simply trimmed with pretty ribbon.

In case you are interested, I used this tutorial for these hooded towels.

Just in case you are worried about incapacitating your sewing machine by making these towels - my first 3 made up without a hitch.  I think that I was just impatient to get the last 1 finished.

Before and After Children

It is already over 2 months since I have been back at work - after a lovely years maternity leave.  Working in an office feels so alien to me these days.

BC (as in Before Children) I was pretty ambitious; not so phased about conforming with my 21 days annual leave; happy to travel for work; not so happy about working over time; had shelved my craftiness and hobbies; happy to wear a black suit and black shoes; happy to have a business-like handbag...you get the idea.  I had worked hard to get to the level I was within the company and was fine with it.

That was all good and fine and great.  But, I never expected my year off with Ava to mess with my values so much!  I remember worrying that I was going to be bored within 2 weeks away from work - NOT!  I remember thinking it would be no problem to stick Ava in care while I went back to work 5 days a week - NOT!  6 months into my leave and I didn't really want to go back to work...and was already thinking that a 2nd ankle biter might not be such a bad idea after all.

Over 3 years I was off on maternity leave for 2 - with a 1 year return to work break in the middle.  There will be no more little people in this house.  Two little girls is enough for us 2 parents to handle thank you very much.  So, no more maternity leave to look foward to.  It makes me very sad to think that I won't experience that freedom again.

AC (as in After Children) I am still pretty ambitious (but in a very different way); very much bugged by conforming to my annual leave allowance (travelling to South Africa with 2 little people costs a bucket - and 3 weeks away just doesn't allow enough time to visit family any more); not that happy to travel for work (although would if needed); not happy about working over time (it means that Flower Daddy has to pick up the slack); have my fingers dipped into about 10 different crafts; hate black - shoes and clothes and want to live in shorts; use a backpack (can't carry Chloe and hold Ava's hand and keep a bag slung over my shoulder all at the same time); want to be involved in raising our girls - disciplining, being a role model and all that stuff - not leaving all of that to the nursery...the list goes on and on and on...I am also pretty darn bitter that most of my income goes to paying nursery to look after our girls.

On the upside, I do get 3 days break from the girls when I am at work.  But on the 2 home days, the 3 of us are just so exhausted.  The girls are clingly and grumpy and plain hard work.  So I get nothing done.  I have hardly been near my sewing space in the last 2 months.  Frustrating.

I.  Need.  To.  Craft.

For my own sanity!

But, I can't craft when by brain capacity is being abused.  No sooner do I get any where near my sewing table and the girls need me.  As in Chloe falls off or on to something, or they start fighting with each other, or they need snacks or drinks.  It was easy when there was just Ava to entertain, but add a very active Chloe to the mix and it is just too much of a hassle.  So, I just don't bother trying to sew or do anything crafty.  Frustrating.

But.  But, but, but, but, BUT!

I am on leave until the beginning of September!  YAY!  It's only 5 working days, but the girls will be at nursery for those 5 working days.  Which means that I can cut and sew and print and design to my hearts content.  Now I just have to survive the next few days until my first day of peace and quiet next week.  I am counting the sleeps.

Christmas 2012 *Plans*

2008 - Gordons Bay, near Cape Town

During May we bought tickets to go home for Christmas.  I was last home 3 years ago, when Ava was 6 months old.  Flower Daddy was last home when I was pregnant with Ava - so it will be 4 years for him by the time Christmas arrives.  Far.  Too.  Long.

2008 - Hout Bay , near Cape Town

My mother has visited us a few times and the Flower Daddies parents have visited once (just as all-day sickness took residence when I was pregnant with Chloe - eugh).  But, it has been pretty much 4 years since we saw anyone else.  I miss my family.  Especially now that we have our own family to share with them.  I would love for our girls to have a proper and meaningful relationship with their cousins and aunties and uncles and especially their grannies and grandpa's.

2008 - street market in Cape Town

For me, about 3 weeks ago, the excitement started settling in.  I am now just itch-itch-itching to start packing and to see our families.  We know that our time away will be crazy and hectic and far too busy to call a holiday.  We will, with out, doubt be exhausted when we return.  We have 4 different places to visit - (Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Pietermaritzburg and a teeny weeny town in the Karoo) - 3 of them a 2 hour flight or 10 hour drive (longer now that we have little people travelling with us) away from each other.  The fourth being a 4 hour drive away from one of the other places.  We know that it will be stupid expensive.  We also know that it will be a lot of fun.

2009 - my gran and Ava (6mths old)

So now....I am thinking about Christmas presents.  They need to be inexpensive, but meaningful.  Preferably home crafted.  Light-weight, if I am to make them before we travel.  Or simple and quick and very economical to make if I am to make them when we arrive in South Africa.

What to make - what to make????

The age range is pretty huge - from 18 months to grannies and grandpa's and a very special 90 year old great-granny.  Boys and girls.  Young and old.  What to make?!?

Source

I am thinking that this play mat would be a great idea for Ava and her 6 year old cousin.

Doodled key rings or brooches (made from the copious number of wooden coins I still have left over from Ava's memory coins) a la Happy Doodle Land for aunties, uncles, grannies and grandpa's.

Source

I can think of a little 6 year old boy cousin who would probably love these fun animal hooks for his bedroom...not that I have any spray paint, random animals or wood backing shapes in my craft box!

My 90 year old gran loves photo's.  So I think a special family portrait mounted in an embellished picture frame would be a good idea (something like this one).  Am thinking a simple wooden frame, painted, then colourful buttons stuck all over it.

Eesh!...it's a start, but what to do about everyone else?  Any thoughts, suggestions or ideas?