Pretty cards - A 5 minute craft

First a little story of how this post came about. We were watching TV after dinner and I keep moving around, going to get things and so on... when husband said "Can't you bring your embroidery or something so you stay put?" 

I cannot watch TV and keep my hands quiet... I need to be doing something crafty at the same time! So quickly got my travelling sewing case and sat put to finish watching the film. So I decided to grab a few bits and pieces of Aida fabric I had lying around at the bottom of my sewing box, and this is what came out of it.

These cards are lovely, personalised and did not take longer than watching a film on TV to make!

"In Love" pincushion and needle case

Today I am very happy to present the "In Love" pincushion tutorial over at Riley Blake - Cutting Corners blog (click here), as part of the Pincushion Club series.

If you would like to download the printable tutorial please visit the blog post over at Riley Blake following the image below. It will also be available tomorrow from my tutorial page (follow the link at the top of the blog).

In order to celebrate my first ever feature, I decided to make the matching needle case to go with the pincushion... and voilà the finished set. I used fabrics from The sweetest thing collection from Riley Blake (you can see the whole collection here)

I did a lot of research on-line to come up with a needle case that I loved. I wanted to feature my heart paper pieced pattern but also have a great design for the case itself. I got inspired by this tutorial from Sew She Sews. However I made quite a bit of redesigning to come up with my needle case. You can check out my board on Pinterest for more links to amazing needle cases.

The needle case is very firm, as it has a few layers of fabric/batting. It has a big pocket all along the interior very handy for scissors and bigger tools, and a small pocket on one side. It has plenty of space for all the needles.

After I finished I gave it a try while I was making a few embroidery projects I have been working on lately, I ended up using the small pocket for my embroidery silks, and catching the threads I was working on between the two layers of felt. The back pocket was used for storing the embroidery pieces that I have finished.

I have made the pattern for the needle case available here

I would love to hear your thoughts on the projects. And if you decide to make it, please do send pictures of your end results!

Also linking up to Girl Inspired

WIP Wednesdays

What a lovely week we had over here, covered in snow... white white white. So it was the perfect time to stay a lot inside and craft. So what have I done this week? Well first of all the shop, I had some new orders that were all lovely finished an packed. And I have some new Valentines' day orders... Giving the little ones a romantic heart for Valentines' day seems like a lovely idea...

You can visit my shop here and more pictures of the products on the Facebook page.

I am so not burning myself again!

So this post has a little story attached. I am a person very very prone to home accidents... burns, cuts, grating my fingers, are a usual thing over here! So the other day I am taking something off the oven, using oven mitts in both hands, and I still manage to burn myself (quite badly) right over where the oven mitt ended.

You may be asking yourself, with all the oven mitts she has been making lately, how come she does not have one for herself? I wondered the same thing... but not anymore!

Fabric stash news

It has been an exiting week around here, had my first orders in the shop, so I have been busy preparing them and getting them shipped. You can have a look at what I have been up to in our shop page on Facebook or here.

And in the meantime I just thought I would show you the lovely new additions to my stash after a little bit of after Christmas shopping and gifts.

WIP Wednesday

It is a bit shameful to say that I probably haven't made any progress on my WIPs since before Christmas... however I did manage to start and finish some new projects...

In your words blog hop project - Embroidery Hoop

In your words blog hop project - Mug rug and matching pincushions

Also a really big achievement this week was the completion of my first order for my newly opened e-shop. I made these three gorgeous gift sets that are off to Spain and Argentina to meet their new owners.

You can have a look at the shop following this link

The shop is open for business

I am really exited to show you all what I have been working lately... and open my little business for Nati's Little Things.

So what do we sell? Custom designed toddler and baby t-shirts and onesies. From newly born sizes, on their own or as little baby gift sets. We ship internationally and gift wrap them to make a lovely gift.

Have a baby shower? a friend that is expecting? want a lovely new t-shirt for your boy or girl?

All our t-shirts and onesies are 100% cotton and custom decorated with some sweet and yet very modern appliquéd designs. And if you want to make a baby gift you can always match it with a little hat, decorated to become a set with your choice of baby bodies.



For more information please follow visit the shop page in our tab bar or by clicking here. You can also visit our Etsy shop for more details. We have also added lots of pictures for you to get ideas of how your item would look like in our Facebook page here.

Thanks for stopping by and please do let us know what you think...

In my words

So glad it is my turn in the hop today. If it is your first time around, a big welcome and hope you enjoy it... for those of you that know me already, I have been so anxious to share what I had plan for the hop.

But first of all a big thank you to Linda from Buzing and Bumbling for being our cheerleader in the hop and to Madam Samm for her lovely hop ideas and making us all stay creative!

Now on to my projects, there are two... the first one I have been meaning to make it for so many months now... first as a thank you present, then as a birthday present, then as a christmas gift... all for the same very special lady (keeping her name a secret as it is a surprise) but did not manage to make it, and then the In your words blog hop was the perfect excuse... so here it is.

Update: You can now download the free pattern here!

I had seen that saying a few times over the internet, and had pinned one of those to my Pinterest  "Embroidery & Appliqué" board for ages...  Since I started quilting and sewing last year my fabric stash has grown considerably, I have been blessed with lovely family members and friends who gifted me a lot of my stash (and I did a fair bit of shopping as well). And I have found myself trying to hide some of the fabric, not to alarm my husband who seems to think the fabric is taking over the flat...

But I wanted it to be in my own handwriting and with my own little drawings... so I added a needle and thread, a thimble and a clothes pin...and of course a little heart. Here's a close up of the design.

I painted an embroidery hook blue, just to make it highlight the white. I first glued the fabric to the inside ring of the hook, to make sure it will stay in place, and then tidied the loose fabric by gluing it back to the inside. Sorry I have no picture, but if you are making one, just make lots of tiny bit cuts and stick it to the interior, so it looks nice and tidy from the back as well.

The second project is also meant for a very special lady... I won't say much about her either because I am sure she will be reading this post...

Last year has been about giving, started my charity blanket project and became a member of a few local charity events. So for next year I had to have "give" as one of my main words... and then the three words appeared as magic... Give, dream, love...

I made the little cross stitch into a mug rug using the Simpatico collection... sorry have no pictures of the back but I used the straw fabric (same as the yellow one in the background) in orange. I quilted it in a square spiral to highlight the centre. And to make it into a little set I made a pincushion. I am calling it the "Stacked with love" pincushion. It is a set of two tied up with a ribbon... the tiny little one is good to take it on the go, but they work great stacked up because there is a lot of surface for the pins.

Today I am not hosting a giveaway, but your comment in this post gives you the chance to win amazing prices at Madam Samm's blog (check it out here). So don't forget to leave me a comment letting me know what you think of my projects... love to hear your thoughts.

I wanted to be able to share with each and everyone of my followers a gift, and therefore I will be giving away both embroidery patterns. If you would like a copy of one or both the patterns, just say so in your comment and I will email it to you soon. You just need to be a follower (or become a new one) either in the blog, by email, via Facebook or Pinterest.

And please do not forget to visit the other lovely projects being presented today in the hop, here is the schedule, and you can find the complete one by following the link in my sidebar.

Thursday, January 10

Life in the Scrapatch (Pat B.)

Just Sew Sue (Sue B.)

Nati's Little Things (You are here)

Amy's Crafty Shenanigans (Amy)

Pig Tales and Quilts (Thearica)

Scrappy 'n Happy (Jess R.)

Little Mushroom Cap (Amira A.)

Kwilty Pleasures (Kathy)

Moosestash Quilting (Joan K.)

Sowing Stitches (Beulah aka. Carol)

Just Quilt It  (Kathy G.)

Thank you for stopping by, hope you had a fun time!

In your words blog hop starts today

The In Your Words Blog Hop starts today. Get ready for a very different hop, we were all given just one guideline, it has to be in your own words... so expect the unexpected with this one!

I am up next Thursday 10th January and have a very special little thing planned.

There will be lots of new ideas, giveaways in some of the blogs, plus the daily top picks from Madame Samm and blog hop prices.

Here is the entire schedule for the hop and you can also find it following the link on my sidebar.

Monday, January 7

Stitch, Stitch, Stitch, Stitch  (Cyndi H.)

Kwilty Pleasures  (Kathy G.)

Debby Kratovil Quilts (Debby K.))

Sew Darn Quilt  (Carolyn R.)

Mary On Lake Pulaski  (Mary K.)

Traveling Quilter  (Debbie A.)

Just Let Me Quilt (Carol S.)

Vroomans Quilts (Sharon V.)

Cate's Linens (Catherine R.)

Nini and the Sea  (Denise)

Sew Much 2 Luv (Karen)

Tuesday, January 8

Piece Peace (Patricia G.) 

A Stitch in Time (Patty D.)

krislovesfabric (Kris T.)

Sew Mollie Sue, Quilt Much? (Pamela A.)

Marjorie's Busy Corner (Marjorie)

Grandmamas Stories (Jane H.)

Mrs. Pickles Garden (Hayley)

Patchouli moon Studio (Daryl P.)

Till We Quilt Again (Helen E.)

The Slow Quilter (Felicia F.)

Quilting With Terry and the Cats (Terry S.)

Wednesday, January 9

Kathy's Quilts (Kathy W.)

Sunshine Quilting (Martina S.)

Sew Incredibly Crazy (Amy)

Quilt Doodle Doodles (Cindy S.)

Doodling in My Mind (Darla R.)

I Like to Quiltblog (Bente)

Michelle's Romantic Tangle (Michelle M.)

Grammie Q's (Charlotte M.)

Dancing Moon (Carla B.)

(Betty V.)  at “that other blog”

The Fuzzy Hat Quilter (Laura Ann)

Thursday, January 10

Life in the Scrapatch (Pat B.)

Just Sew Sue (Sue B.)

Nati's Little Things (Nati)

Amy's Crafty Shenanigans (Amy)

Pig Tales and Quilts (Thearica)

Scrappy 'n Happy (Jess R.)

Little Mushroom Cap (Amira A.)

Kwilty Pleasures (Kathy)

Moosestash Quilting (Joan K.)

Sowing Stitches (Beulah aka. Carol)

Just Quilt It  (Kathy G.)

Friday, January 11

Jane's Fabrics (Jane R.)

Jane's Quilting (Jane C.)

Nuts 4 Redwork (Heide W.)

Cherry Blossoms Quilting Studio (Cherry G.)

Bits and Pieces (Martha R.)

Life in Every Breath (Jennifer B.)

Quilting Lines (Patricia L.)

Travel Thru Greece (Mara)

Meadowbrook  (Kristen K.)

Count It All Joy!  (Denise P.)

Sophie Junction (Sophie W.)

Monday, January 14

Gracie Oliver Arts (Jeanie)

Clothes and Crafts (Maria K.)

Cherrys Prairie Primitives (Cherry E.)

Simple Sew (Shirley T.)

Woolie Mammoth (Anna B.)

RocknQuilts (Mary Ann)

Celynn's Sunflower Patch (Celynn)

A Quilting Sheep (Amy)

Sane and Crazy Quilting (Cathy L.)

Quiltsmiles (Jane E.)

Feathered Nest Studio(Jennet)

Tuesday, January 15

BQuiltin Studio  (Beverly K.)

Hill Valley Quilter (Britt-Inger)

Bumbleberry Stitches  (Theresa K.)

Buzzing and Bumbling  (Linda W.)

Outback Crafter (Debra S.)

In Stitches and Seams  (Annette S.)

Englating  (Marica from Sweden)

Stitchin by the Lake  (Marlene B.)

Selina Quilts  (Selina)

Sheila's Quilt World (Sheila M.)

Words & Stitches (Beth S.)

Wednesday, January 16

My Collection of Things  (Jeni K.)

Quiltin' Jenny  (Jenny)

Shade Tree Quilting (Judy C.)

(Rosemary B.) at “that other blog”

Pat Sloan, The Voice of Quilting (Pat. S.)

Dachsies With Moxie  (Agnes B.)

Sew Many Yarns (Lyndsey M.)

Tomorrows Treasures Today  (Denise D.)

The German Mom  (Tina S.)

Christa Quilts (Christa W.)

Sew We Quilt  (Mdm. Samm)

Look forward to seeing what everyone has come up with. I am just giving the finishing touches to mine so I can then relax and enjoy everyone else's.

Craft bags

It is great now to be able to show what I made for my niece and nephews for christmas. They absolutely loved their gifts and I am very pleased that I can now share it with you. When I thought of it I kind of thought it would be a good idea, but wanted to test it before suggesting it to you all. My nephews words were "this is awesome", so job well done.

I made the bags of a colourful sturdy cotton I bought from Ikea, they are simple tote bags. The handles were sewed in and reinforced so they would last. Then I appliquéd their names on using colourful fleece and a zigzag stitching all around. I first glued the letters onto the bags to keep them in place but know that they are most likely to come off so stitching is a must in this case.

So what was in the bags? A huge assortment of crafty things. My niece who is 11 got a pencil case and beads, fleecy flowers and ribbons to decorate it, a box full of foam heart stickers, an activity book, two tubs plasticine, 25 markers and some stamps. The boys got similar things but boyish, with little aeroplanes that they had to paint before putting them together. The little one got some puzzles instead of messy painting but loved his colouring book and foam stickers.

Kids hard at work decorating their aeroplanes.

We had good fun playing and doing the activities in the books. I have to say that on and off, as kids do, they played for three hours... Which was great as it was raining horribly out and adults get tired of playing hide and seek indoors!

So voilà  new kids gift idea that works great, is easy to make and the kids will love! And one last little pic of my new tags that I am so proud of and happy with!

And the winner is...

Can you hear the drums? Well I finished answering all my lovely birthday messages... there are a few that although I wished to answer I didn't have an email address... so if you didn't get an email from me today... this is for you:

I loved reading every single message, some were so sweet, some made me laugh... but they all made me feel very special and blessed to have so many friends around.

2012 has been a year of giving, started my charity quilt project and made lots of hand made gifts for family and friends and it could not end better than giving to you... And it is a good opportunity to start the new year the same way. Wishing that every year finds me blessed with so much to give to others.

And I promise that the winner was absolutely chosen by random, but she left this birthday message to me "Congratulations for your birthday just passed and many happy days to come the whole year through, each one full of love and laughter and may all your paths drip with abundance :) love Grace" .And it is exactly what I wish for us all, may our paths drip with abundance.

Congratulations Grace, and email has been sent your way! Now Grace please stop reading... I don't want to spoil the surprise for you.

But I cannot wait to share for all of you what the giveaway gift is. I know you were all so intrigued and truth is I really can't help myself, I wan to show you!!!

It is an oven mitt, similar to the one I made for my brother in this post. This one however, is made with fabrics from the Simpatico collection. And it is ready to be sent to Grace! Hope it matches her kitchen colours and keeps her safe from burns. I always find that the oven mitts are a tiny bit shorter than I need and end up getting burned in the same spot, so this oven mitt is designed to cover up to that spot!