Nativity Mouse Costume

This is actually a pretty pointless post, due to my excitement and lil knitwit having a meltdown and not wanting to do his nursery nativity I didn't get a picture of him at home in his costume.

Naturally I have lots of him during the nativity but I'm not allowed to put them online just in case they have other peoples kids in. Which is pretty understandable but still, now I didnit think I'll have one to share with him online. And by that I mean on here and on Facebook.

But here's the costume anyway.

Its cut down from Mr Knitwits old onesie but I think the only original seam left is the inner leg seam.

I had to put in a new zip and I drafted sleeves and arm holes. You'll have to take my word for it but it fit him pretty well. 

I appliquéd on a lil pink tummy.

I wish i had done the tail a bit smaller but Lil Knitwit had a lot of fun waving it around when he wasn't talking . I also added elastic to the ends of the legs and the sleeves so he wouldn't trip up he looked pretty cute actually.

the ears failed a bit as they kept flopping forwards, however he did have the biggest ears of all of the mice, and they all looked pretty cute. A few of the parents were pretty shocked that I'd made his costume and not just brought one on-line. although we did look and there's not many lil boy mouse costumes out there, instead there's loads of girl mice with tutu options..... because that's how you sex a mouse... you look to see if its wearing a tutu.

As far as nativities go it was AWESOME! it was a huge change from last year where they just sat and sand this year Lil knitwit had lines to learn and he even had to crawl across the 'stage' at one point. it was a really lovely experience and there was no major meltdowns or disasters! Although it was highly amusing to watch one of the angels sing with both of her wings in her mouth and one of the sheep get dragged back across the stage by one leg! 

So yes I'm very proud of lil knitwit for doing his mummy's costume proud! even if he did have a hysterical moment half an hour before! [no seriously I had to leave him in the classroom sobbing hysterically, i have no idea what they did to calm him down but they managed it]

much love

Frankie

xxx

Salt Dough Button, Pattern Weights

Kids like crafts, they really like making things. But their is only so much stuff I can fit in my house or I can give to relatives. So when I wanted to do a craft this week I thought why don't I get him to make something I can actually use!

Button shaped pattern weights!!!

As it goes he was having to much fun squishing and rolling the dough I made a few more than he did!

But I'm really pleased with how they turned out, especially seen as the recipe is so easy, 1 cup flour, 1 cup salt, 1/2 cup water. I think they went in the oven for two hours at about 180'c to firm up, [but don't hold me to that]

In fact its that easy little knitwit measured it himself!!!

These are the ones I made, luckily I had a small cutter to take care of the buttonholes!

These are the ones lil knitwit got round to making after having fun with the dough. I painted them with his poster paints because after all that fun he wasn't interested in painting them and just wanted to play cars.

All in all I'm really pleased with them, and so is Mr Knitwit because it means we can have the coasters back on the table and not in my sewing box!

The only thing I might do is back them with some felt [probably using my glue gun] so they don't snag finer fabrics. I've seen so many cool versions of pattern weights but I like mine too especially seen as it was a mummy and lil knitwit project. 

I also think its a great craft for dads who like to make things with their children for mothers day/birthdays! and they are so easy anyone can do it! Although lil knitwit would like me to warn you not to lick your hands whilst using it! He learnt that the hard way!

Much Love 

Frankie

xxx

Toy story box cake review!

Lil Knitwit is a teensy bit obsessed with you story at the moment so when he saw this cake kit in the supermarket he asked very politely if he could "make it" 

Now I should probably mention that I grew up in a house where cakes/cookies/biscuits were made from scratch! You weighed your own flour and measured your own chocolate. 

In fact my only previous experience with box cakes is when my dad brought me back one from the supermarket to try. This says everything really, my dad went to the supermarket, which means my mum was elsewhere, and I think my sister helped with the oven, I don't remember my brother being there which means I was probably being distracted from my mum and brothers absence. Lord knows what happened there! 

Anyway this is what the kit contained..

Cases, two bags that would look out of place on an episode of border patrol and

Sugar decorations!

All we had to do was add an egg and water to the "cake mix" and whisk it all up! 

Ummmm appetising ?

We then spooned a pretty watery mixture into cake cases) and bake for 15 mins! 

Not bad! 

Next we made up the icing using the cocaine oops icing package and some water. And stuck on the decoration! 

VERDICT

Taste : I've had better and I've sure as hell had worse 5/10

Mess : barley any mess 9/10

Learning : we didn't get to weigh or measure anything , so lil Knitwit didn't really learn anything from these cakes 2/10

Fun : lil Knitwit missed making a mess, and sifting the flour, he also couldn't work out why there was no sugar (already in packet) and why we didn't use magic drops (vanilla essence), it was also too easy! Baking is usually a morning activity but these couldn't have taken longer than half an hour in total 3/10

So all in all would I buy them again? 

Nope not really, although they were good value £1 (10p per cake) I think I'd rather pay the extra and take advantage of the learning possiblities (weighing and measuring) as well as the feeling of actually making things! 

And I guess I'll just have to put up with the mess!

What your experience of box cakes? 

Much love

Frankie

Xx

A lil piece of home

When lil Knitwit started nursery they asked us to provide a home link box. Basically this would be a small box filled with things from home that would help to settle him if he was feeling sad or missing us. 

Needless to say as a mother who was allowing someone else to care for her child after two years of being a stay at home mum. I threw my heart and soul into decorating that box. My baby boy would have the best box on the shelf! 

I stencilled his name. 

Hand drew thomas (his favourite)

And placed baby bunny and a few other things in! After I lined the box with shiny paper and thomas decals.

I went all out, and to be honest doing it made me feel a little bit better about the whole situation, it was nice to know he always had a little peice of home and that mummy's crafting skills had been useful! 

Ironically he never used the box, didn't touch it, wasn't interested. 

Much love

Frankie

Xxx

Lil knitwit the big 3 year old!

This post comes to you from the past....

Yeah I wrote it yesterday and scheduled it to post today (your yesterday not mine!)

this post was supposed to go out on the 24th January my lil boys birthday but due to a temperamental internet signal it failed to post!

My beautiful baby boy turns three today! He's very excited about the presents and more specifically his BIFDAY CAKE !!! 

Here he is when he was first born! 

My tiny lil 5lb3oz ball of warmth! He was immediately taken to the bro natal ward because of his low temperature and then stated due to his difficulty feeding, (hence the tube!) but he pulled through and is now a lively and lovely lil boy! And a lot of that us due to the support of the neonatal nurses at Leighton hospital, in particular a lady called Anne? Who bundled him up and switched off his hot cot in the hopes that he would hold his own temperature! She took a risk and it payed off for us! We got to take him home a whole month before scheduled! 

This is me in the first days of being a mum! Not too tired becuase I wasn't doing the night feeds, but in heaps if pain and worried about my ickle baby! (And yes he is wrapped in my cardigan to help him stay warm!)

But anyway back to his BIFDAY CAKE! which is going to have CANGLES! For him to BWOW out! 

I didn't have much time so I opted for a toy story one from disney sweets and treats and added a 3! 

Complete with woodsy sheriff badge! 

And his face! 

This was actually the quicker I've completed a cake from these magazines but I'm pleased with the result, I think it's because it's a simpler cake! I've also created a new resolution to bake once a week whilst lil Knitwit is at nursery hopefully this will satisfy my sweet tooth and justify my subscription to disney sweets and treats!! 

Much love 

Frankie

Xxx 

Sleepy owl

I needed a little break from sketching today, so I picked up my hoop. 

I'd started this a while ago but becuase of orders etc. it found itself pushed to one side! Feeling ignored. 

But today I just needed something mindless to do so I got it back out. 

I like it, it's a bit more whimsical than what I usually do. 

It's got lots of swirls and flourishes. 

My little moon! 

It's a bit of a mismatch project becuase I'm using all of my scrap threads. 

Other than this, I've swept the carpet (yes swept the hoovers on the blink!) and we visited a Christmas fair this morning, where I won a baby doll for lil Knitwit! Thankfully the lady on the stall was kind enough to change it for a stuffed dog. 

Poor lil Knitwit is desperately trying to recover from his cough and cold , but it really seems to have settled in his chest poor thing!

Here he is feeling sorry for himself, does anyone have any cough and cold remedies? 

Much love 

Frankie 

Xxx

What kind of mother am I? Well let's put it this way, when I play play dough I get all the colours out...

Today's been a bit emotional, for starters lil Knitwit had an hour long session at nursery today as a taster. The idea being that you see how they settle and try and slink off into the foyer if you think they won't notice or mind. I slunk off after about half an hour, (surprisingly I was one of the only ones to give it a go) and I would love to see that lil Knitwit fell to hiss knees when he found out I was missing, started sobbing and proclaimed that he couldn't cope with his wonderful mummy!!!!! 

He didn't.

My son wimpered for two seconds, then decided that his new environment was a good enough substitution for his mothers care and love. 

So yeah I'm really happy about that (lil brat I mean you carry someone for 8 months and spend everyday with them for two and a bit years!!! Is a screaming fit too much to ask??)

But I am grateful, I'm very glad that he's going to enjoy nursery, just as long as he remembers who feeds/baths/cuddles him for the rest of the time! 

The other reason today has been emotional is because of starting/nearly finishing my second OWOP dress, I'm using the same pattern as the first dress I ever made and it's coming along nicely, the reason that it's emotional however is because the fabric was inherited from my grandma, and she brought it with the intention of making my grandad a pair of trousers/jacket. 

Three metres of lovely pinstriped brown wool? I think it's wool? 

The stripes are red and blue but you can't really tell from a distance. 

I even had a spool of brown thread! How's that for fate! 

From the moment I saw this fabric I thought I had to make a dress to honour both of my grandparents. I'm using the same bodice from the first dress I made but I'm not going to gather the skirt, I'm thinking box pleats?

This is about the moment I started to tear up, I'm not sure if it was the thought of my grandma thoughtfully picking out fabric for her husband or the realisation that lil Knitwit is growing up, but let's just say things got a bit emotional! 

I did manage to pull myself together for the pinning stage though! And I actually got the Bodice sewn today, and the skirt panel hemmed so tomorrow it's just the zip, pleats and skirt attachment to worry about!!

one week, one pattern starts on the 6th September over on handmade janes blog! And yeah I'm cutting (no pun intended) it a bit fine aren't i?

What can I say I just love the pressure!

Much love 

Frankie

Xxx