Lest We forget

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

You may or may not know that this poem by John Macrae  written in 1915 inspired the Royal British Legions Poppy Appeal that has become a  proud part of our calendar since the first one on November 11th 1921.
 Millions of pounds are raised each year to help and support servicemen and women and their families, not just veterans from the First World War but every conflict since and ongoing now.
The poppy even with its sad significance has always been my favourite flower and so the idea of making our own version to raise funds for the British Legion was a bit of a no brainer, for every one we sell £1 is donated to the Poppy Appeal.

But we're not the only ones if ours isn't your cup of tea then check out these lovely creations by some other handmade crafters who are doing the same!

Donations vary, click on the picks to find out more.
Lisa x

Farewell my summer love

So summers over and Autumn is officially here, and yet weather wise it’s the nicest it’s been in ages. I have spent more time outside this weekend than I have for most of August, and  my usual post summer blues seem to be somewhat belated....maybe they won’t come at all if this softly softly approach to the darker months continues. Woo hoo!

Despite this gentle decent into fall I have not forgotten that Christmas is not that far away and have already started thinking about what gifts I can make this year. I would absolutely love to do a completely handmade Christmas, kids included, but it’s not easy when every TV show has its own line of branded and expertly marketed toys & games to compete with. (That said I know from bitter experience that they are in most cases over priced tat, all fur coat and no knickers so to speak)

 Last year I made a tepee for the girls and it was a major hit, I can say with confidence that it has trounced the Nintendo DS into the ground which fell out of favour about mid March, the tepee however was out at the weekend as it is most weeks, it has been a secret den, a tardis, a dolly hospital, a magic cave, a fairy trap and a vampires lair amongst other ingenious imaginings.  How I will top that I don’t know but I am determined to try and am in the process of looking for ideas & inspiration.

At the moment I am torn between doing a fairytale puppet theatre with a set of hand-puppets, or a Tardis like play house, as they are both huge Dr Who fans, only time will tell which design wins as they are both in their early stages and I can’t afford to do both, in the meantime I shall tempt you into your own handmade Christmas with some of these wonderful stocking fillers.

http://www.folksy.com/shops/Dougy74

 http://www.folksy.com/shops/StitchArt 

http://www.folksy.com/shops/Fluffsstuffs

http://www.butterstings.com/

http://www.folksy.com/shops/DarcysDolls





I know its a bit early for the C word but the thing about a handmade Christmas is you have to start early, to make sure you're not still sewing on toggles on tepees on Christmas Eve, trust me I know...
Lisa x

I am not a robot

I have to confess as I write this first post I have little idea where it’s going, which is a great reflection on how I run my life. I am possibly the most unorganised person EVER! For instance now I should really be getting in to the bath I have just run before it goes cold...You see I have plans lots of plans and they overlap and conspire and combine and breed ideas and make more plans and then mate with the original plans and get in the way of the first plan that was probably a good plan before it got shagged senseless by the sexy idea groupies and Ta Dah! Before you know it the bath is cold and I've started on plan B, and so on and so forth... I have a lot of cold baths.

It’s my own fault I’m one of those annoying people that only read instructions as a last resort. This, I know can drive the most reasonable people over the edge, but the thought of trying to digest pages of irrelevant information when its 90% common sense anyway is beyond me. I believe this casual attitude to problem solving has served me well, it’s made me see solutions where others see setbacks, I think of putting together a flat pack set of drawers as a sort of practical cryptic crossword and yes more often than not I will cheat and see where that last screw should go but what the hell, I’ve learnt a whole lot more by determining how and why everything fits together myself.

I justify a lot of this with the age old excuse of being a "creative" and its true I can honestly say I am, but on deeper scrutiny I have to wonder if the reason I am happiest making and designing is because there are no instructions to follow, no wrong way, no right way, no major disasters just happy accidents, that like sparks ignite more ideas and no rules...gosh perhaps I’m a rebel as well!

This is not to say that I don’t have pockets of order in my chaotic approach. Putting chocolate in the fridge is just wrong, a G&T without ice and a slice, criminal, and my cutlery drawer is a shrine to the obsessive compulsive disorder in me, you put a fork in the spoon section and I will rip you a new arsehole!
So how do I get anything proper done? Simple, I am an avid lister, admittedly they too can be a bit creative and I have to reign myself in a bit, but for example today’s list went like this...

1.Get Guttermans 829 thread to Sally.
2.Go be a dinner lady at school.
3.Go to meet Kathryn at Swinton Lock.
4.Have a cup of tea with Mum & try and talk Dad into going to doctors before his leg falls off.
5.Have another play with Janice the over locker, (remember she’s just as scared of me as I am of her)
6.Clean top conservatory and put kids summer toys in garage, (Summers over, try not to cry Autumn is a nice season too, it’s very pretty and you get to wear your wellies.)
7.Take Tabby to park and play proper even if my back hurts.
8.Change kids bedding.
9.Cut out handbag doorstops.
10.Buy sand for doorstops & white paint for garden markers.
11.Stand and look disappointedly at broken tumble dryer for a bit, then marvel at how green and eco friendly line drying is and how everything smells fresher.
12.Write first blog post.

 And I managed 7 out of 12 which for me is a minor miracle, the remaining 5 will simply move onto tomorrows list. I used to be a slave to my lists, feeling like a failure if I didn't cross everything off in order but now I've accepted that I am not a robot and use them as a guide rather than a whipping post. My top tip is, don’t have more than a dozen things on one list, it’s just discouraging, and don't forget to congratulate yourself for all the other things you achieved that weren't even on your list, perhaps with a chilled glass of wine if the suns past the yard arm.

You see I have discovered I can struggle to fit in to the frightening, regimented well-ordered world that everyone else seems to cope with, or worry no more, throw the instruction book away, find my own way and start celebrating the spontaneous, which can lead to some fabulous things...

Well it seems this first blog post has gone down the self analysis route, I accept I will never be the ordered methodical type and I apologise if I’ve wasted 5 minutes of your life ranting about such, but to be fair I promised nothing more... whether or not I will keep up with this blogging thing remains to be seen but right now I do feel a whole lot better about spending tomorrow morning knee deep in fabric, music blaring and sewing machine humming and a dishwasher full of dirty pots because I forgot to press the ON button again.

Lisa