Bows, Bows Bows!

Hi everyone!

Below are some bows I made as a gift for my lovely mum. She has amazing thick long brown hair and I have tried to use colour combinations that would suit it. The bows are attached to hair slides and made using ribbon from Rubanesque and Hickey's. If you haven't already died and gone to heaven as a result of the absolutely stunning stock at Rubanesque (Powerscourt Centre, Dublin)  you need to get yourself into that shop... quickly! I'd go as far as to say it is the most inspiring shop I have every been in. EVER. My only complaint with them would be that their prices are a bit high (especially for the impoverished student)  But there is no place with the quality and selection they have so it seems worth the cost. They have a big selection of photos at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Rubanesque-Ltd/76754714791#/pages/A-Rubanesque-Ltd/76754714791?v=photos. 

xx

Nat

Baby blue and brown bow,

One of my favourite colour combinations.... Helps me forget this is fake synthetic lace (shudder)

White velvet bow

Regency style bow,

Vera Wang uses this brand of ribbon on her wedding dresses, can't think of the name right now will post it when I do. 

Crazy oversize bow,

The brown and gold ribbon is hand woven so it has a great weight and texture to it.

Bikes, Baskets and Blooms

Back to college yesterday so back to the disgusting cycle uphill to Clonskeagh, my daily tourture. Thought I'd make things nicer so I've woven some fake flowers into the wicker basket on my bike. Got the flowers in The Camden Casket, that place is amazing they have everything a cheapskate craft girl could ever want! 2 bunches for 4Euro. 

Next stop painting the bike a retro colour... hmm that could be interesting! I'm thinking maybe a nice pastel yellow or maybe a red like the royal mail postage colour. Though I saw some very tempting gold spraypaint on Camden Street today which was only 5 yoyos and says it can be used for metal. More photos of the completed project soon! XX Nat

Little bit of crochet today. Just started these cute little flowers. The plan is to make a load of them and stitch them together using some antique lace as a little border to make a lacy scarf.... more photos soon. Nat.

There's nothing quite like pink icing...

Check this out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1gfZwejPv8. If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake sung by the great Eileen Barton. Very appropriate musical setting to get your baking groove on to we feel. Sexy stuff indeed. ;-)

Some lovely multicultural cupcakes above! Dotty cases from London, Icing stars from California, ingredients from Dunnes stores Dublin, Ireland. "Always better value". Yummm. Nat.

Team Effort

One of the things that's so fantastic about crafting is that there's always something new to be learned. No matter how accomplished a knitter or crocheter you are you can always develop your craft that little bit more. The best way to learn a new craft skill isn't from a book or a video, the best way is to sit down with someone and have them teach you. Once you have been taught something well, you know it for life. I love that crafting brings you closer to people as you have that common interest (well obsession in our case.. hee hee). But to me, there is nothing quite like sitting down with another crafter and have them pass their knowledge and skill onto you.

In the case of this little make-up bag, a team effort was the theme of the day! We made it for a friend of ours, Anita, who kindly provided the photos. I knitted the bag but was clueless as to how to sew in a zip or how to line so Natalie did that part. She cut, ironed, placed, pinned and sewed as I sat and watched. This was a lovely project to work on. Not only did Anita get a present with combined Twit and Purl love but I also became a Jedi Master of zip and lining installation thanks to Natalie's flawless tuition and patience.

This project unleashed a Bríd obsession with crafting make-up bags. Armed with my newfound lining and zipping skills... There was nothing to stop me... Be prepared for a torrent of make-up bag posts. Hahaha!

Also, Snuzzle-Cat The Second has been knitted... All he needs is some sewing up and then he'll be ready for some snuggling and nuzzling! Pictures coming soon...

Have a great day. Love Brid x

Snuzzle Cat!

I would like to introduce to you... The Snuzzle Cat. This little fellow is a cat that loves to be

snuggled and nuzzled. A very easy pattern to knit, and using big wool and big needles it goes up very fast. The wool I used for it came from a thrift store in California. I got around 17 skeins of the same wool for about $8.00. It must be said, there is nothing on earth quite like an American thrift store!

I found this pattern on a website called http://www.cabbagepatchtreasures.co.uk. This is an awesome website, a really great find! It makes vintage toy patterns downloadable for free. The snuzzlecat is part of a trio of other crazy creations called the Knit-Wits.

I started to knit the cat for a very dear friend who would love nothing more than her very own big fat cat. His arrival created quite a storm! As a result, another snuzzle is currently on the way for another cat-lover!
He's still a work in progress but I'll keep you updated!

Have a great day! Brid x