yummy yummy colours

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I've been buying fabric again...  The top 4 were necessary.  They are 1m and 2m pieces of Klona cotton from Backstitch for my Bluebird Park quilt.

The FQ bundle is for my Mackintosh Stained Glass hanging.  I didn't read the fabric requirements so bought this FQ bundle.  Yeah, I just need a couple of scraps for the project!  No matter, my solids stash is pitiful so this will help.  And it looks so pretty...

Harrogate stash

On Friday and Saturday me and my wonderful mum went to the Knitting and Stitching show at Harrogate.  We stay overnight to make it all a bit more leisurely.  It's a good job we do as the place is rammed!  I thought you might like to see my goodies?

Yarn for a pair of fingerless mittens I want to make

Wool roving and fancy threads for a little felt picture I have in mind.

A goldwork kit that's actually a copper work kit and is done on canvas.

Me and mum went halves on this one. This is proper goldwork, but in silver if that makes sense!  We got two patterns and the materials needed to make them both.

They come with leather, and silver threads and metal threads...

And all kinds of other threads that I've forgotten about!  We watched a lady doing a demo and it really didn't seem as hard as I've always thought it would be, so I'm going to take the plunge!

This little fella is a magnetic needle minder.  I couldn't leave him behind!

I didn't intend to buy any fabrics, but at £2 a FQ I couldn't resist.  The car one is to make a crayon roll for my nephew.  The other two are just because.

These were £5 for three and I think they'd look lovely with a bit of embroidery, I have something in mind! In the background is a metre of brown corduroy which is for a bag I'm planning.

I bought this pattern and a roll of fusible binding tape to try the stained glass technique.  I wanted to try this and as the pattern is Rennie Mackintosh, how could I resist?

And how could I resist this bunny who has a little bunny in her garland!  I found the perfect FQ of white fleece on the stall opposite so it was clearly meant to be.

I bought a couple of beadweaving kits.  They're beginners kits but I love the designs and the prices were too good to pass up.

This is my jewellery making stash.  Some of it was from Harrogate but most came from the Bead Show that me and mum went to on Sunday... it was a craftstashalicious weekend!

I bet you all think I'm crazy.  I've got a list of WIPs and kits as long as an orangutan's arm, but I'm adding to it.  Ah well!

Christmas presents

Hello ladies, Christmas seems to be retreating quickly into the past so I thought I'd better show you what Santa brought me, the crafty stuff anyway.

This gorgeous bundle wasn't a present, but rather a giveaway win than I collected from my mum's on Christmas day.

I won it from the lovely Monica of Mountain of the Dragon - I don't usually do advertising, but I'm hosting her button as she was wonderful to deal with, so kind and lovely.  Go and buy stuff from her.  Now!

The in-laws bought me some FQs of Summersville...

And my lovely parents bought me this seam tool.  I haven't had a chance to try it yet, wonder if ANYTHING could improve my seams?

I also got a pack of Gutterman threads,

A clay extruder,

and a set of jewellery hammers.

Not bizarre gifts at all!  Oh, there was also a book or two or nine to add to my collection, a voucher for a dressmaking course from my parents, a voucher for a silversmithing course from Mr CA and 2 mosaic kits!

I also had not one, but two parcels from my lovely and very generous friend Sandra.

I recognise this fabric and I want to tell you what it's called but I can't remember!  It's gorgeous though, and my favourite colours!

Parcel 2 contained this FAB zipper pouch, love the shape, love the fabric and check out that quilting!

Lined with what might or might not be a DS print. 

She also tucked in these little labels (no idea whose present I could put them on!) and the typewriter sticker came with the fabric.

Thanks Sandra, you're a star, but you know that!

So, looks like I'd better get busy next year...

Jigging that wig

Morning ladies!  I meant to write this post yesterday but the lack of computer at home is making things hard, I'm so behind in my blog reading it's unreal!  I know I could just "mark all as read" but I don't want to!  I'm unlikely to get any work done today, I'm bursting with excitement.  I picked up my "new" car yesterday - he's gorgeous!  I've decided to call him Norton.  I think I've already told you this, but he's a blue Mini One with a checkerboard roof and checkerboard stripes!  I'll take a photo when it stops raining and if the sun comes out at all today.  it's 9:30am and dark as night!  Tomorrow me and my mum are going to Harrogate to the Knitting and Stitching show.  We're staying overnight so have two days at the fair.

Which brings me to my topic of today, I realised I didn't tell you about the Bead Fair I went to a couple of weeks ago.  It was hosted by The Bead Shop Nottingham in a local hotel.  It was quite small but there were plenty enough shops there.  There was also a free mini workshop.  We signed up for the Wig Jig workshop, thinking it might follow on from the class we took a few months ago.  It turned out to be the same, just condensed.  So I freestyled instead!

Here are the designs I made up.  They don't look terribly neat, they'll look better once they're attached and made into jewellery.  Promise!

Want to see my haul?  I didn't actually spend very much, I got quite few bargains!

Not bad eh?  I got bails for putting polymer clay cabouchons or Fantasty paint in, some filigree pieces, some lentil beads and bangle blanks.

Lots of chain, delica beads and some fab painted wooden buttons.

Beading kits.

Spacers, connectors, bead caps, funky shaped beads, lucite leaves and ribbon clasps.

Speaking of haul, my winnings from the Zakka Style Sew Along turned up from Robert Kaufmann...

Yum yum!  Would you believe I've forgotten its name???  I'll leave you with the birthday card I made for my mum.  I'm off to stand by the window and admire my car!

A peek at my stash

Wow.  I was planning this post for tomorrow, but I just had to post today.  I subscribe to the Folksy blog - for those that don't know, Folksy is the UK version of Etsy, just smaller and, until now, more interested in it's sellers.  They posted this morning saying they're putting listing fees down from 20p to 15p BUT instead of listing 5 items for that 15p, you now have to pay for each and every item.  That stacks up to a 75p listing instead of a 20p listing.  They've also increased the commission and shortened listings to 4 months!  I wrote a comment on the blog saying how unfair I thought it was and they DELETED IT.  That's it, I'm done with Folksy.  I'm closing my shop and moving.  Any suggestions as to where?

I'm going to carry on seething as I write the rest of this post, I think I might seeth all week about this!  But let's not dwell on it, let's get on with this post.  It all began when I was looking for a beading needle on Saturday.  It wasn't where I thought it should be and so I had to go from place to place looking for it.  I was a little shocked how much my crafting stash has grown and thought I'd take some pictures.

What you have to bear in mind throughout this post is that I have A LARGE DOUBLE BEDROOM UPSTAIRS FULL OF CRAFTING GOODIES.  This little gallery of shame is just downstairs...

Frst up is this little bookcase in my dining room.  It's home to my growing bead and jewellery making collections.  The covered folders (using leftovers from the wallpaper so they match) contain cross stitch, embroidery, knitting, crochet and jewellery making magazines.  See the vase on top full of little balls of yarn oddments?  Love that!  Next to the vase is my wet felted universe.

My other main stash is in the living room, next to the sofa where I always sit.  If you squint you can see some craft magazines on the sofa with the TV remote - I really should have tidied up!

So let's take a closer look at this stash.  One drawer contains Aida, Hardanger fabric and evenweave, the other two contain yarn.

The top left drawer has my stash of felt, both wool felt and acrylic.  None of it is neon orange despite looking that way.  The top right drawer has more yarn and the middle drawer contains various items that have no other home - pompom makers, tapestry wool, that kind of thing.

Then there's a basket on top.  You can see my knitting needle roll, 2 of my three embroidery thread boxes, assorted hoops (used for framing, not stitching in), an embroidery frame, my lightbox (which has stopped working), and a couple of kits.

Then we have the small basket containing my Ort jar, my notebook, tape measures, scissors, needles, crochet hooks, pens and tooth picks - all the handwork essentials.  Behind the basket is my daylight lamp and my tissue box along with the label from a ball of yarn (why??), some mini post-its for marking book or magazine patterns and my lovely needlebook from Katherine.

Next to my chest of drawers is my large crochet bag, currently containing my stalled giant granny blanket.  It sits on top of my sewing box.  This sewing box used to contain all the sewing equipment and supplies I owned.  All of it, including the fabric.  And that was less than 2 years ago.

Now it contains a wide variety of things.  It really needs sorting out!  Now, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is all.  I mean, this is the entire contents of some people's craft stashes.  But no, let us take a look down the side of the sofa.

Well, well, well.  What do we have here?

Exibit number one - a tower of crafting goodies.  The missing embroidery thread box with my yarn bowl sitting on top.  On top of that is my wooden tray with a variety of stuff that I'm currently using.  Or should be using if I hadn't stopped what I was doing to make loom flowers.  And what was behind that little tower?

This basket is stuffed full of WIPs, or rather UFOs, my on-the-go project bag made by the lovely Sandra, another project bag also made by the lovely Sandra behind it and about a gazillion sheets of paper with patterns I printed off as I had to make them NOW.  I haven't made them yet.   Is that it?  Oh no, no.

Cunningly squeezed onto my craft book shelf (commandeered from the general book shelves) is another vase of yarn - handknit cotton this time, and a vase of perle cotton.  You can also see my smashed suncatcher and empty Yankee candle jars that I'm going to refill.  On the shelf above you can see my fab red octopus made by the Dotty One.

I need to just stop a second here and point out two things.  Yes, that next shelf up is barren.  I'm currently trying to alphabetise all our books.  They are in the top bedroom which is two flights of stairs up from the dining room.  It's taking me forever to carry them down, sort them out and put them on the right shelves.  I can also only reach the bottom half of the shelves, despite standing on a very large ladder.  The second thing - yes that is an oven.  No, it's not plumbed in there.  Don't go there, it's a source of massive arguments between me and Mr CA.  Seriously, don't go there.

So, surely that's it?  Nope, look at this hanging on my computer dining chair.  It's my Zakka Style SAL tote bag, stuffed with yarn!  Do you want to see more yarn?

Look on the shelf of the computer desk!  A quick turn to the right shows us the dining table.  Complete with WIPs and bear hats that I was going to list in my shop until Folksy decided to shaft the very people who make it work.  On top of my ongoing doily rug and needlework is some free paper from a magazine and some buttons.  In the background you can see my secret project (which wont be secret much longer as I can't get in touch with the lady that sent it to me) and a bedsheet.  Used for painting on.  Yep, we're really slovenly in our house, things find a place to sit and stay there for ever.

Oh, look, I've found one more pile of craft goodies...  a box of candle making stuff.  Quite a big box, and overflowing.  I suspect there's more in there than just candle making stuff.  I'm not going to look though.

So, that's it.  Apart from the entire large double bedroom upstairs that is my craft room of course.  How do you compare?  Has anyone else got an out-of-control stash like this??