Lots of making

I do feel I have been making a few things of late, unlike last month, still not getting as much made as I would like though.

Camera Lens Cap Pouches

I made a few more camera lens cap pouches on request for Ditto Crafts. This time making them slightly larger to fit bigger lens caps. I think this larger size came out a lot better. The green one at the top has a snap at the back to clip over the camera strap instead of having to take the strap off the camera to fit it on. The friend I made it for requested this and I think I'll be sticking with it if I make more. Still making it based on this tutorial but slowly coming up with my own way of making them.

Baby Doll bibs and nappies with a little bag to put them in

It was my nieces 2nd birthday last week and on request from my sister I made her doll some nappies and bibs. I used the bib pattern I made up and shrank it. I was worried that it was going to be too small but turned out just right. I had a cloth nappy for my cabbage patch kid back in the 80's. Thats him in the pic, looking ok for a 27 year old!! So I used that as a base for the pattern. I had made a promise to myself, and others, that I wouldn't buy fabric from spotlight for the foreseeable future, not that its bad or anything, just that I have so much fabric I need to use and its just too easy to buy more when spotty is just up the road! But I couldn't resist, look at those adorable owls, and that dolls clothesline fabric, can you blame me?

iPhone cozy

I've also been mucking around with some iPhone cosies to sell, inspired by others I have seen. My felt isn't quite thick enough so I'm going to have to pad it a bit more, what do you think?

I have another show and tell but that one deserves it's own post, until then....

TTFN

Just a bit of advertising

Large Pleated Kindle Pouch - by DittoCrafts on madeit

I sell stuff I make, did you know? Along with another ace crafty chick we sell under Ditto Crafts. Pop over and have a look. Lots of different things in the store at the moment, and with mothers day coming, I'm sure you'll find something :-).

TTFN

New Keyka Lou Pattern

Super Padded Pouch, originally uploaded by keykalou.

Have you seen? Keyka Lou has a new pattern out. It's a new Padded Camera Pouch and comes in 4 sizes. I'm hoping the extra large one will fit a dslr. Use the keyka lou button on the top right side bar or click here to pop over and have a look at the pattern yourself. I'm sure you would like to buy one, I do.

Finally

I'm back on the sewing machine. It's been far too long. I've just been too busy.

Curvy Wristlet

Roses are Red, Tractors are Green. That is what is printed on this fabric. Not my usual fabric choice! There is a very complicated story to go with this wristlet!

My sister's mother in law found this fabric, fell in love, had to buy it. They moved to the country a few years ago along with my sister and her family. She doesn't sew, at least I don't think she does, I do know she knits and makes very nice jam (has her own business). Anyway, she gave this fabric to my mum with the request of making some pj's for my nieces, which she did (sorry don't have any pics, very cute though). Mum had some fabric left over so asked me to make a purse or bag for my sister's MIL. So last night I finally got the urge to make it. I hadn't tried this pattern yet. Wish I had tried it first on something else. The fussy cutting I did on the flap didn't end up being in the right spot, you can kinda read it. I'm pretty happy with the bag. I think though to make it look it's best it would have to be full. Maybe I needed to use some thicker padding in it to give it more structure.

Curvy Wristlet - back

It was gifted to her today at a festival she had a stall at. She had no idea it was being made, I think she was happy. Not sure if she was showing off the material to everyone or the purse!! I think it was a success.

Curvy Wristlet - inside

This is the inside, it has a small pocket you could put a small mobile into. I didn't get a chance to try it!

This is made from a Keyka Lou pattern (click on the button on the right sidebar for more of her patterns). There are two smaller sizes in this pattern too. I think they might be better suited to have a wrist strap, I'm not sure if the large size needed it.

I think I'll make a few of these for our next market, not sure when that will be.

I've got a few softies on the to-do list next, birthdays coming up. I'll be getting the Melly and Me patterns out I think. It's been a while since I made a softie.

There have been a few softie pattern writers that, in the past week, have decided to let people sell softies made from their patterns (not in a mass produce way), which is pretty exciting for me. I would love to make them to sell but just don't have the time and brain space to create my own. We'll see what happens.

TTFN

Edit: This pattern is from:

Michelle Patterns, formerly Keyka Lou. 

(Affiliate link)

Birthday Boy

Completely forgot to post about my gorgeous one year old. Can't believe he's one already the time has just flown by. It was last week in case you're wondering.

I made a cake, well decorated the cake, the hairy bloke made it, he's good like that.

Little O's 1st birthday cake

It was a robot theme. I didn't get very good photos of the party and the table was a bit disorganised :-( too much going on in my head, next time I'll get friends to take photos, check the table is nice and calm be down! Half the food didn't end up being put out.

I googled robot cake and a Betty Crocker tutorial popped up, perfect. I went to ye oldie lolly shoppe to get all the decorations and the cake mix and icing came from our very ace local cake decorating shop. The robot in the tute had liquorice arms. Not that I was too stressed about sticking with what was in the tute, but it became a challenge, I could not find really long twisty liquorice anywhere, so the good old musk stick replaced it. Talk about out of practice, it has been 2 years since I iced a cake, too long!!

Icing in action

It was sooo yum :-)

Robot cake control panel!

I made a tiny one for the next day too.

Cup cakes

My mother in law made cupcakes for the party. She couldn't find any robots to top the cakes so my father in law made robot rappers to go around them, how cool is that?

I'm now thinking about the 7 year old party coming up. He wants a Harry Potter theme. I was thinking either the sorting hat or Hogwarts castle. I know which one would be easier!!

TTFN

Yikes its all too much

All this social media thingy. It's doing my head in. I just found out that google are stopping google friend connect, I know it's been out there for a while, I've been busy ok? So I've set up a google+ page so people can connect with me that way. Then I was thinking is that the best way to get my feeds now? Soooo confused.

So if you are interested, I've set up a few links on my sidebar. You can now get my feeds through Facebook, through any rss reader you like (not that I'm happy with google reader at the mo but that's another story), via email, and when I get the button to work, through google+ (I've just spent an hour trying to get it on here), oh and I'm on pinterest too, that's on the right.

So this is my google+ link for Mandy Made. And I have attempted to include the button, lets see if it eventually appears!!

How are you going with all the social media these days? As confused as I am? I just want to write my blog in one spot then everything else gets the feed without me doing anything else. Is that possible?

And I wish they would stop changing things, I get used to how it all works and looks then they go and change everything. Maybe I'm just getting too old he he. The 37 grumps have hit me!!

Cup of tea anyone?

Does anyone even read my blog? The stats say that people come here but I'm not feeling the love with any comments. Oh well. Back to my corner of the blogesphere!

Hopefully I'll be back with some crafting soon, been soooo busy.

TTFN

Edit: Sorry I didn't want to sound like I was desperate for comments! I was just a bit frustrated and wanted to know I was going to an effort for a reason. There is little time for sewing as it is ;-)