Laters!

Just a very quick post as we're off on holiday tomorrow and am still trying to get orders done and sent off. As yet we have no currency, no travel insurance - and my son's passport only arrived this morning! It has been a very stressful week for this reason, none of us could get excited - we'd discussed our plan B - that Steve and Herbie would go as planned and I'd stay with Bud until it came....which would have been pants for everyone! I swear I have aged 10 years in the last few days! If I didn't need a holiday before, I sure do now!!
But....the passport's here now, we'll start packing later - and might even have a little glass of something to put me in the holiday mood!

So I hope you all have a great 2 weeks, I'll be thinking of you in wet old Blighty whilst I'm lolling around on the beach in Skiathos!

Just hope this little man doesn't miss us too much...

TTFN!

And the winner is....

You didn't think I'd forgotten did you?! I just thought I'd keep you in suspense that little bit longer....plus it took me blimmin' ages to write all your names - many in duplicate!


Thank you to everyone who entered and left such lovely comments, I am truly touched!
So here is the hat...

And the name drawn by the Herb is....(drum roll here!)























In real X-Factor style...




















Huge congratulations to you!!
Please could you e-mail your address to me (kirstyelsondesigns@live.co.uk) I wouldn't post it on here - you might have a mad Laura coming to beat your door down!

Whale t-shirt

I just made this whale t-shirt, using part of a zip for it's mouth (like the whale cushion). It's something I've been thinking about for a while... I'm going to make 4 in different designs - just one-offs to start with - and see how it goes. One of the great things about Folksy is that you can see how many views you've had on an item, so if the t-shirts don't generate much interest, I won't take it any further.

The polka dot fin is stitched at along the top so it 'flaps'

And here it is modelled by Herbie who wants to wear it all the time!

Only one available in a size 3-4 on in my Folksy shop!

Happy Birthday Mum!

Firstly, mum if you're reading this (highly unlikely!) and you want your pressie to be a surprise, TURN OFF NOW!
Secondly, I have to say thank you to all of you who have entered my giveaway - I'm overwhelmed at the number of comments you've left: and new followers - a warm welcome to you! To anyone who hasn't entered, there is still nearly a week before the winner's name is drawn, so get to it!
So it's my mum's birthday tomorrow, and I thought I'd share some pics of what we've been making for her today...

A little seaside scene created from driftwood


I like the buoys - made from tiny polystyrene balls (a bargain at 5p each!) and painted in co-ordinating colours.

Here's the card I made, again from driftwood...

My eldest son continued the fishy theme for his card...

And finally, here is the card made by my youngest - with a little help from me! You can probably tell the basic shape for this peacock is his hand silhouette, and whilst I would love to take credit for this clever idea, it actually comes from the fantastic book Hand Art, which I thoroughly recommend for young children.
Happy Birthday Mum, I hope you have a wonderful day!

My work in print - and a Giveaway!

My mum must be so proud! First of all my sister's work graces the likes of Grazia, Red and the Times Style magazine, and then I go one better and get a slot in (wait for it) ....Popular Crafts magazine - DUN DUN DAH! Steve made some sarcastic comment about not letting it change me and muttered something about it having a distribution of about 30 people, but hey, it's a start, right?
The other thing is that it's coming up to a year (amazingly) since I first started this blog. At the beginning (like many other bloggers I suspect) I was a little nervous about the whole thing - who would be interested in what I have to say/make etc - but you have all been so kind with your comments, I have more followers than I could have dreamed of, and I've made some fantastic virtual friends along the way!

So, as a little thank you, and because I will be away on holiday at the actual time of my first blog anniversary, I'm doing a little giveaway early! These fabric caged lovebirds have had over 1000 viewings on Folksy, but no actual sales, which suggests to me that you like them but are a little expensive(?) So now one lucky person can win one for free!

The rules: everyone who leaves a comment will have their name put into a hat; followers get an extra go and anyone who puts a link on their own blog will get a further chance (shameless I know!)
The winner's name will be drawn on Saturday 15th May. So what are you waiting for?!