Elf on the Shelf

Oh I have just not had the time or energy to update my Blog but I have loads to show you :)

I really, really wanted to make Jackson and Isabella an Elf for this Christmas and sourced the patterns knowing I could alter them a little if I tried. The male elf did look a bit scary haha!! and then I saw the current edition of Simply Crochet and on the front was a lovely looking elf!! and what seemed to be a fabulous looking Poncho!! That means surely if there are Two items on the cover I like I get to buy it...right?? Ha ha any excuse... Well it seemed everyone wanted to buy this issue. I couldn't get hold of one and the Month was coming to an end rather quickly.So I purchased the online addition. I really do like to have my magazines in my hand to scroll through. Or just to look at. I really do have a terrible Craft Magazine addiction and have to pick them up in the supermarket and have a little row with myself over whether I should be allowed it or not. I often win but just lately I have been trying to be really good and not buy. However this one I needed for my Grandchildren he he and so now have on my laptop. This is great for when Crocheting at home but is not ideal if you have a Hospital appointment and want to take some Crochet for the Car Journey or the waiting room. Plus you don't get a free gift!! So I will be cancelling this subscription and buying off the shelf when I need my next Magazine fix. The plus of this online buying is that I got 30 days free. So didn't pay for this mag. I just have to remember to cancel :)

So as I said the time was getting on.... I actually picked up my Crochet hook and started on Saturday the 29th November (oops) Leaving me not much time for this quite fiddly project. Here is my first days work and poor little elfy looking a bit like E.T

The pattern was quite easy to follow and although I didn't use the yarn suggested and just what I had in my stash came together quite well :)

I went onto the Hat next. This was not so easy. Once I had finished it was way too big and couldn't decide whether to sew it on and try to loose the excess all around or unpick and try again. I hate unpicking but as the elf was looking so good I went for this option. I didn't do the last round of increasing. It was still a little too big but much better.

 It was a nightmare to sew to the head though and get it looking neat like the photo in the magazine but I did my best. I enjoyed making his Hair and the little extra's like the frill round the neck were such good finishing touches. Unfortunately due to time my Elf is missing his Cuff's, Booties and Bell but is still adorable. Here he is with his Belt but no legs. 

I made a Box for him to have escaped out of ha ha and tied it up all lovely for Jackson to open. Isabella is a little young. So I will hopefully get round to making her, her own Elf next year when she knows what is going on.

 I wrote them a letter from Santa. You can see that on my Facebook Page Wendy's Crafts and inside I wrote a note from the Elf who had escaped. "Ha ha, He he I have escaped, Come find me. Do you need a WEE?? and then set him up in the toilet. It was so good.

Jackson wasn't too sure with what was going on but he did realise the Elf was being naughty and you could see he liked that. Hopefully I will get time to finish the elf properly once Advent is over and he returns to Santa :)

I so enjoyed making him but wish I had left myself more time to fully enjoy without rushing. 

 Keep an eye out on my Facebook page for Elf updates :)
Just one last quick photo I have now of him with legs :)

Chocolate

Well I have actually managed to make my first Chocolate explosion Cake and my first Chocolate explosion Bouquet. So I am declaring the next few days Chocolate time :)
The Cake was for my Brother's 50th Birthday and is not actually my first chocolate explosion one but it was my first pouring out one. It was actually really fun to make and was nice to not have to tackle fondant for a change.
Here are some piccies :)

We also had an event to go to and I have always wanted to make a Chocolate Explosion Bouquet but have just never got round to it. So last time I was at my suppliers I picked up a big florist box. It was so pretty and getting ready for the event I decided to get on and make one and I am so in love. This one cost's £15 but can make these from £10 up. They can be ordered from my Page All Things Sweet.
Here's the photo's of this one. I can remake these for any occasion. Boxes and Chocolates may vary but I will always make sure you are happy with what I make before I post.

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As it is Chocolate time I thought I would also show you this :)

I bought it an event I did with All things Sweet. I have always wanted to make my own to try but sometimes you just have to give in and buy. Especially me as I have so many crafts I love I may never get to making this and would just be missing out. So I bit the bullet and got one. They come from Alotofchoc  if you click that link it should take you to their Facebook page where you can buy your own or browse their wares. So I thought I would do a little review on it :)
Like I said, I have always wanted to make some of these. I did dabble in Chocolate and still buy the odd chocolate mould for just in case. I know a little about Cacao and have some posh Chocolate in my Cupboard but I just couldn't resist buying these. The Chocolate looked fabulous on their stall. It was set out so you had a good view of all that was available and there was just enough choice. The lady was so knowledgeable and helpful and I got my choice down quite quickly (mainly because I am quite fussy) to the Duck l'orange and tonight I opened it :)

Well being a stuck in my ways kind of girl. It was a bit weird putting a chunk of Chocolate into a mug. I am usually putting it straight in my mouth or using powder to make my Hot chocolate. So was a bit surprised when I was told to just stir it into hot milk. I thought it was just an extra to my normal hot chocolate. So this I did and as it slowly melted away I quickly took it out and took a little bite..... I just couldn't resist. I couldn't see all that chocolate melt away before my eyes. My mind couldn't comprehend not biting into it. This made no difference to the end result as once the chocolate had fully melted off the spoon (o.k I did just lick the last bit off that just wouldn't seem to melt off) I tasted the milk and it was delightful. Like a smooth chocolatey drink that left you with a nice clean feeling mouth after. I have promised the second one to my daughter but I might just have to use it myself to get the sensation of this fully :)

I would just say to make sure your milk is really, really hot as I am a bit of a baby when it comes to hot drinks and so the chocolate took a while to melt and when it had fully melted it was just warm enough for me to drink. So next time I will actually do what it says and use Hot milk!! I will definitely be buying from Alotachoc again and really do advise you to have a try of their product as this one was delicious :)

Please note this review was done by myself. I bought this product and decided to review it and any thought whether good or bad is solely my own thought.

Snow White

My illness has yet again kept me away longer than planned but I have a nice Snow White post I have managed to write at last :)
My Granddaughter turned 1 in August and I have just got round to editing the photo's for my page. She had a Snow White Party. So of course Nanna here had to go all out :)
Catherine asked me if I could make Isabella a little outfit of which I got very excited as I could make a Tutu one. I was however let down with the top I ordered. So had to frantically Crochet one myself. I don't think the finished result is as good as if I had used a Ribbon Crochet top but I had to do what I had to do.

It was still very good for my first full Tutu dress. Isabella didn't like it though ha ha. So we have no pictures with it on. She was only 1 bless her. So will be trying it on again soon hopefully.
I also since started Cake making, make everyone a birthday Cake. So was also very excited for this as I could have a go at making my fist doll Cake with the Cake being the dress. I had a look on Google and decided I really wanted pleats on the dress and not just straight covered. I knew this was more difficult but I have to have what I want :) Apart from getting the Fondant a nice Yellow this Cake went surprisingly well and I was absolutely grinning from ear to ear at the result. I am never happy with my Cakes but this one passed my rather tough criteria :)

Oh.. I also made her a bow for her hair :) Just because I can. The photo doesn't do it any justice but It was very nice seen as though I am just learning. Catherine wanted Bella to be a bow wearer but just little ones. For this occasion though I thought I would make her a bigger statement bow.

Again, I have no photo of it on but I do plan to get one :) and just as a final touch I made a huge organza bow in Snow White Colours. Just to see what it would look like and again the photo doesn't do anything for it but it was big and fantastic.

Crochet Purse

Well it has been a while since my last post but I have been busy blogging behind the scenes. It appears for me to be easier to write lot's of different posts and keep adding to them until one is finished. I am finding it quite hard getting my photo's loaded and on. So lot's of writen posts waiting for photo's but I have now at last finished a whole
 post and it seems it is Crochet Week this Week :)
I have so many Crafts I love but just don't get the time or have the energy to do them much. So it is nice when I can. A couple of Weeks ago I saw a lovely purse done in Crochet and it stuck in my mind. I have had a love and the want to make a purse for a while actually. I bought a Magazine a few Months back with a free gift of a purse to sew and managed to get some purse clasps off my Facebook Group Craft items for sale or swap for 50p each!! So..... last week I set to making one. I have always been able to see something and make it and this also happens with Crochet. So I got my Hook and my fabulous free BERGERE DE FRANCE Wool out and started. It came out really well and I was so happy with it.

 As I crochet I nearly always try to write the pattern down as I go but it is quite tricky getting things exact. I have soooo many half written patterns stored on my laptop and written in books. This one I have manged to stick at and even worked hard on a 2.5 hour journey to London last week. I have also been at it again today but it is still not done. You would think counting stitches would be quite easy but the amount of times I have counted around my work is unbelievable! I am just about to now try and write the pattern out on the computer and then will need to Crochet it again to triple check it. (It is actually going to be the 4th time I have done it but triple just sounds better)

Work in progress

As it was made from looking, I had no idea what I was doing really and the top is a bit too tight so although it looks fine. It actually doesn't hang right. I will be unpicking this one to get it right.This is made in BERGERE DE FRANCE Jaspee Wool. It is 80% Acrylic and 20% Worsted Wool and is fabulous to Crochet with. You cant see any mistakes ha ha because of the pattern in the wool. Yet you can see your stitches fine. I was very lucky to find out about the offer on the BERGERE DE FRANCE website. This was a points system that when I signed up I got points. These converted to £10 off my first order. It took me a while to choose as there was is so much on the website but lucky I did, as a few weeks after signing up I got the most amazing catalogue from them. It has their actual wool as samples inside which is fantastic as you can feel and see what you are buying. You can still get the catalogue if you are a new sign up but I am not sure about the points. Here is a link to their website. Bergere de France. It may be worth signing up to see. I chose the Jaspee in Vague (Blue) and Comete (Pink) and COSMOS in Mauve ecru (Pink) and Jean ecru (Blue) postage is just £2.90 and I got all 4 balls of wool posted for £3.59 with my money off. How amazing is that!!! There are so many beautiful Wools on there and some really different textures. I chose these Colours to make Hats for Jackson and Bella but then decided to throw caution to the wind and use my "posh" Wool for my purses and I think they suit the Wool very well.  The only problem with this wool is it doesn't give you the thickness on the label. I judged it was an Aran thickness and as I was making up a purse it didn't really matter but if you were making garments, You would need to know exactly. I can't wait to use the Cosmos and may do on my 4th try :)

BERGERE DE FRANCE Catalogue

I have since done a Blue one in the same wool. This one is much better although I still learnt something when sewing this one up :)

My Blue Purse :)

 and this is my 3rd one done in Creative Cotton which is Aran weight.

 I think this looks stunning and would love to do them in all the Rainbow Colours. This Cotton comes in the most stunning Colours and I have worked with it a lot. I love the fact that it is Aran weight as it works up quickly and gives you that lovely chunky but not to thick look. I think it looks fab made up  into a purse.
I will hopefully over the next few Weeks finish my pattern and be able to put it up for sale. This will be a miracle as I have only ever finished and checked on pattern ever ha ha but I do have more faith in this one :)

Always on my mind

Getting back to my Blog has been on my mind for ages now. The thoughts have been coming stronger and stronger. Now they are coming as actual Blog posts. My mind is processing some of my thoughts as written out posts. So I think it must be time to get back here and write some things down before I go crazy :-)
I have so much I want to do/be but what with my illness I seem to have so little time to get things done.
Just a quick Paragraph about my illness as I don't want it to take over my Blog posts but as it is such a huge part of my life I am sure it will be mentioned a lot. I have Chronic Fatigue and Pain Syndrome and it has been diagnosed as Fibromyalgia due to other symptoms of which I won't go into now but are equally exhausting/painful. It effects me daily and takes a huge chunk of my life away but I am trying to fight it :-)
So where to start??
I would like to Blog about my Creativity and things I make.
I would like to review items I use that I feel need a review.
I would like to talk more about my illness but not make my posts all about it.
I am also interested in bettering my diet and losing some weight. This at the moment is heading in the direction of wheat and dairy free but having tried this before and getting bored easily I am going to try and change over slowly with some healthy evening meals to start with and slowly making my diet wheat and dairy free. So this will possibly be blogged about as well.  I am not looking forward to losing my milk :-(
I would like to just talk generally about my life... That being I am 41 Years old. My body mostly feels 81 and my mind feels about 21. This makes my life a bit difficult as my brain is always engaging in new and exciting things and my body just wont follow. I have a beautiful Daughter Catherine, Who has given me Two beautiful Grandchildren Jackson and Bella who I am able to use as models for a few of my makes ha ha and no doubt they will be popping up a lot as they are my whole world.
Oh and I also enter the odd Competition so if I win anything I will no doubt also Blog about that :-)
Think that is a quick bio and game plan all sorted so let's get on with some photo's :-)
I love pictures in a blog post and would usually just scroll by if one it is just writing. Unless it is on a subject I am very interested in so I thought for my new Blog post I will leave you with a lovely couple of Collages of things I have made :-)

So as you can see I dabble in all sorts of Crafts. Lot's and Lot's ha ha and still have more I want to try. So hopefully I will have plenty to Blog about.

 If you are reading this, I thank you very much and please if you feel you can, leave a comment as I love to know who is about what you think.

Thank you 

I just want to leave you with this lol My spelling is quite bad and I often go to google to check things out as I hate bad GrGrammar I was having a problem with losing as it just felt to me like it needed two oo's as in loosing. I googled it and this is what I got from urban dictionary. My first chuckle of the day :-)

 loosing. You never use this word so please spell "losing" correctly from now on. You mean you are LOSING the war, not LOOSING you idiot!

So it's a New Year again and it wouldn't be proper if I didn't try at my Blog again :-)
Every Year is the same, New Year, New start and must do better ha ha. I really failed last Year!! but I am a fighter and am again hopeful and ready to start blogging :-)
I have just read back on my Blog and I do love it. I think it is a great place to let the craftiness in me out and somewhere to just write what I want.
Although I suffered terribly with my Illness last Year. I do actually think I did very well in getting a little more organised, Finishing off a few work in progress items and general Crafting.
I started the Online Craft Fair on Facebook and have some lovely Stall Holders who I think of as Friends now and actually made a lot of different things and now have an awful lot more work in progress items he he :-)
My goal this Year is to tidy up my Facebook Page. I have started by making a new supplies only Page. It is not published yet but I have transferred a few Ribbons over and am awaiting a little order I placed to just help me along :-) It will be called Wendy's Craft Supplies and my "Making" Page will stay as Wendy's Crafts :-) I want to have all fully edited and Watermarked Photo's and have them all lined to my Website. Quite a large task but completely doable :-) I also hope to grow the Online Craft fair and get a few more good Stalls in and also get that lined up to the Website and one last thing is I would like to keep up a regular Blog. That has always proved very  hard for me in the past. My illness just really doesn't seem to let me but with fingers crossed I try again :-)
I will leave my fist Blog post of 2014 with a Few made by me Photo's.
Happy New Year.