Christmas present making

I'm in a frenzy of Christmas present making.
I'm already starting to panic about it. It's still early, I know, but I'm definitely panicking. I leave for the UK 8 weeks from today, and I have decided to make something for everyone in my family (....what was I thinking?) So I'm not going to be able to talk much about what I'm going to be making, I'm not sure which members of my family lurk around my blog...but here are some little snippets of some of the projects, that are mostly just little piles of fabric at this stage.

The party is over

The party was a success! But thank god it is over. I had no idea how stressful a party for a 1 year old could be. It almost felt like Christmas, there were so many decorations, so much food, and so much organising to be done. And once there are four babies in a room all getting up to mischief at the same time, it feels completely hectic.
But I was really happy with my cake, it all went according to plan despite my nerves...


And the red velvet cupcakes I made, from this recipe, were delicious! (With cream cheese icing from my Mum's recipe)I would definitely make them again, so light and velvety, just as they are supposed to be...

We decorated the room like a big top, with red and white streamers, and big bunches of red and white balloons. I made paper flags and paper party hats (which all the babies refused to wear, not even for long enough to take a photo!) But poor little m was not to happy with his party. Everything seemed to make him cry that day, including opening his presents. Poor little thing, I think the attention was too much for him.

Cake decorating...

The sugar decorations for the top of the cake are complete....phew!


But there is still so much to do!

Getting ready

The invitations have been drawn, printed and posted......



And the weekend was busily spent hunting down decorations for the big day


When I found these vintage style clowns I nearly burst with excitement, they are so perfectly the type of thing I was looking for.

Little m turns one this week, and we are having a little party to celebrate on Saturday. And there is so much to be done!
A house to be tidied, then decorated. Food to be made, and of course a birthday cake to be baked and iced. I have never iced a cake in my life, and I think I may have set myself too big of a challenge, thinking I can make a circus themed cake with striped icing and model animals.
I think there may be tears....I'll let you know how I go.

Spring

I haven't been feeling very creative over the last 2 months. My new life as a mum seemed to have taken over for a little while, which was just fine with me.
Little m is not so little anymore, he's growing and changing everyday. And my baby free time seems to be shrinking each day at an alarming rate, as he cuts back on his day sleeping.

But I am beginning to feel Spring is in the air, and my creative juices have started flowing once more....
What started out as one of my many piles of fabric that I dream of turning into a quilt ( i have many, many, many of these lying around and cluttering up my little studio, destined to never become anything more than a pile...)


was slowly cut, stitched and pinned together



and even more slowly, hand quilted...


and finally last night I finished sewing the binding. What a feeling of accomplishment!
It's a baby quilt, and a gift for a dear friend of mine.