My first pattern listed on Etsy!!!

Yay... I have finally finished my first pattern download for my Etsy shop.. I am working on more too at the moment..

This is my Vintage Owl...

You can download the pattern HERE on Etsy for €5

Summer holiday time...

I finally finished the 3 paintings last night that are to go into my little boys new room... I just need to get them framed now.  I hope he likes the pink camper van! lol... My daughter has now commissioned me to paint her a fairy, unicorn and a castle! 

"we're all going on a summer holiday"...

Recently I have been working on 3 paintings to hang in my little boys new bedroom (once its built that is).. 

They are a series of paintings based on going away on a beach holiday..

This is the sketch for the first one that I finished painting today.

And this is the finished painting. Done in acrylics and felt tip..

This is the sketch for the next painting I have started today.. Up over the hills they go..

And the last sketch of the 3.. They finally arrive at the beach for their holiday.

The colour pink..

Today I have needed some extra brightness in my house... Its yet another dull grey day.. Where this years sunny weather has got to I don't know..

Here are some images from around my home to brighten up your day too..

My Garden! I wish...

Its very dull and grey here today, so I thought I would brighten it up a little!! hehe... I only wish it looked like this in real life! 

Credit where credit is due....

I have recently found the below picture of an absolutely gorgeous embroidery in the pinning world that is "Pinterest"

But one problem, a lot of pinners seem to forget to credit where they have taken the picture from.. Pinterest does try to give an accurate original location for pictures pinned, but this is not always the person that has created the piece...

Soooo if you are a pinner PLEASE remember to credit the artist where you can... And if you are an artist it might help to have your link watermarked on your pictures so the public always know it was you who created the work.. :o)

I would love to know who actually stitched this, but can not seem to find out... 

Makes for friends..

I recently made this cushion cover below as a present for a friend.. It was stitched using a pattern from Bumpkins on Etsy.

I added a few little tweaks and designs of my own. 

Not so vintage sampler....!

I love embroidery and stitching, and for some time now I have wanted to buy a really old vintage sampler, but they are way too expensive and I can not afford one.. Sooo I decided that I want to make my own... I drew out the pattern below my self , by hand, then scanned it into my laptop, so I had a digital copy of it...

I have now started to stitch the design onto a dark beige linen fabric..

I don't know many stitches at the moment but I am working on it!! lol.... I have a stitch bible that I am working my way through slowly...

I am hoping it will look old fashioned when its finished.. Probably more true than I realise, with the amount of time it will take me to sew..

Recent fabric projects...

I love fabrics, vintage fabrics especially, and all types of lace and ribbons. I wanted to create things I could hang on my wall to display all the lovely fabrics and bits I have gathered over the years..

So I came up with this fabric journal.. I has 30 fabric pages, and to each I will stitch a panel that I have been working on, to represent the things going on around me, and kind of like a diary of what is going on.

The Cover took about 6 hours to embroider.

This is my "Cats" panel.. I love cats, and I have two who get up to all sorts of trouble.. So thought I would capture their mischievous side... 

These are 4 panels I have made to represent the seasons.. I love each season for a different reason, I love the brightness of Spring, the warmth and colour of Summer, the crisp frosty mornings of Autumn and the snow covered land of Winter.. 

Fresh Start

Do you ever feel like you need a drastic change of direction?  I do, so have...

I closed the little craft shop I had at Christmas and since then I have been a bit lost as to what to do.

So I have now decided a name change is the first thing to do. I have gone from "Cottage Crafts Ireland" to....

Out with the old and in with the new and all that.. I am not really selling much on-line now, through no fault of my own, I don't advertise any more, and can not be bothered to either... Selling on FB has become way to much effort for what you actually get out of it, and no one has bought from my web site in a while. 

I have always liked to create fabric art pictures and that is what I am going to be concentrating on along with embroidery and other sewing projects..

This is one I finished just under a year ago, its called "Once upon a hillside" and is just a view I would like to see when I look out of my window everyday.. I am working on many others which I will show in parts or when finished..

I am also having a new extension built onto the house (well we are building it all our selfs!!) and once finished it will have my new craft room in it... 

I will try and post again soon when I don't have a 23 month old monkey climbing all over me.