It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas is over

Wow what a Christmas!!! I hope everyone was thoroughly spoilt! I was!!! The lead up to the big day was lovely, even though I had to work we got to have 2 non uniform days and my Christmas cardi was present for both of them.what with working in a bank I did get the bank holidays off which was nice but I still think back to being in school and getting a few weeks and the whole time thinking about how rubbish it is that I have to go back to school at the end and how I'd love to be a grown up with a job. I never thought my mum would be right when she said I'd look back and miss it!!!

I took pictures of my pressies too, is that sad? One of the main reasons I did it was because they looked so pretty all laid out and it almost made me teary to think of all those lovely people who had thought about getting me something. Now I'm not religious and I know Christmas isn't really about the presents, but I love the spirit of giving and I spend a lot of time choosing and making presents for others and I'm a fan of both the giving and the getting.

The presents. Spoiled Laura. 

In those pressies were these packs of fabric, when my mum asked me if there was anything I would like I told her about a few fabric selections I had seen on <a href="http://www.emmasfabricstudio.co.uk">this site</a>  and really liked. I just tried to do my first link with something apparently called HTML because I'm using the blogger app and there is no link button and I'm not sure if it worked. This might become a day of firsts, perhaps my first day to edit my blog so I don't look stupid! 

Here's a quick close up of the fabric in there

I didn't want to undo the twine yet so you can't see them all, too pretty to play with at the moment.

I don't usually go out in the Boxing Day sales but this year I was tempted.i didn't go for the 6am start or any of that but I had some money and vouchers and the mr has a younger  sister who was up for going too. There were many discounts to be had and this is what I came home with is lot...

I think I would call that a pretty major successful shopping trip! I stocked up on the makeup that doesn't make my skin rash and got a great haul in hobbycraft. Everything apart from the crafty stuff and the ring from pandora was reduced or crazy cheap. And I did get 10% off the quilting calendar because it was the last one and one edge is really banged up! but the insides are fine and I love it! I love finally having a rotary cutter and mat. Especially because I was all set to buy the mat from a shop in the town I work in for £30 and ended up getting it in hobbycraft for £18! Now all I need is a quilting ruler but I can't find one anywhere!! Hobbycraft were sold out and John Lewis didn't have any (I went shopping in John Lewis the Saturday after Xmas with vouchers because they were closed on Boxing Day which I was very upset about but I'll tell you about that in a bit). I'm going to look for one today in a shop I'll be passing but I'm not holding out too much hope. 




I've already made one of the blocks from my quilting calendar, it didn't come out perfect but I am happy with it. It's approx a 12" square and I'm going to make it into a mini quilt to top a side table. 

Hey my text went green for a bit in the middle there, I have no idea why so I think I'll just leave that alone. 

In my shopping picture you will also be able to see my next new hobby, SMASH! The boyfriends sister that I went shopping with had heard of project life and wanted a look. We went to the section of hobbycraft and if I'm honest it looked a little boring. I haven't had much of a poke around and I'm sure it's not boring at all, but at £92 to start up it is quite a bit out of my price range.

Instead I picked up a smash book, it's a memory keeping journal that you smash everything into! And it's not ridiculously big so you can carry it around with you. I've done a lot of pages already and bought a second book that is slightly smaller and titled LaDeDah, for when this one is full. For only £13 I think that's very good value especially when every page has something patterned onto it. 

One of my favourite purchases has got to be the little blue bin, it was in the next sale for £3 and now I finally have a bin in the sewing room for all my cut threads and bits of rubbish! I used to have a bag on the floor but would miss it most times and it looked a mess. Talking of the sewing room... I have cleaned it out! All the rubbish, piles of clothes, things that I didn't know if I wanted or needed to keep... All gone. I'm just waiting for my mum to come and pickup the big wooden antique box that I have been using but no longer need (she didn't want it so loaned it to me until I didn't want it and I think she will sell it now) and then I need to put the Weights bench the mr never uses onto eBay and once that has gone there will a ton more space in my lovely room. I might even be able to put the airer in there! When you live in a teeny tiny flat you need all the space you can get, especially in the craft room! 

Let me tell you about the John Lewis haul. I had a lot of vouchers. After vouchers I spent just £11. Their sale started on the 27th and I was in their sewing department on the 28th, these fabrics are usually £14-£16 a metre and I cannot afford that, but they are popular designers. They were half price. This is what I got...

How about another pic because they are so pretty...

They are sitting in a neat stack behind my sewing machine where I can just look at them. There are 19 1metre cuts and they are so so pretty, I cut into one for some of the blocks on my mini quilt top above. 

That fabric shopping trip was some of the best fun I have ever had in a shop. I took along my 10and 11 year old boy cousins who were on their very best behaviour. One of them held my handbag whilst the other held out his arms and I stacked him up with bolts, they both helped me find the ones with half price labels and desperately begged me to get one covered in Union jacks, I declined. As unpatriotic of me as it is. I don't think I'd ever use it! They then proceeded to have a very in depth conversation about Star Wars with one of the two lovely women who helped us at the cutting table. This was one of the few times I have recieved excellent customer service at that shop and it was really lovely. Most of the time the staff stand around chatting or chat whilst they serve which I thinkis really   unprofessional. This time they came and unloaded whichever boy I was stacking with bolts every few fabrics, checked I still wanted a metre and came and told me regularly how much money I was up to. My faith has been restored in John Lewis! 

That's pretty much all for today I think. It's early, the mr has just left for a work and I have a day off for some family stuff but I have been ill all night so am trying to feel human before I approach anyone today. I'll leave you with a picture of the toy I made yesterday that is on its way up to Yorkshire to my cousins little baby, the little one in question must be coming up to a year old soon and I have only met her once so the plan is that the week I have off in February that the mr hasn't got I'm going a visiting. This went up with some clothes I have made her...

I don't think it came out badly seeing as I don't usually make toys and I just drew out an elephant pattern on to fabric. The ears have ribbons on for little fingers to hold and I drew the eyes on with fabric marker so no little buttons can be chewed off.

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas!!!