BUTTON BLISS

okay... quick up-date, thanks to all who have been asking - has been a tricky couple of weeks with a child with awful croup, and me with hand in splint - all okay, all on the mend, but not conducive to designing, typing or ....anything. Croup child home and happier, although my heart is in my chest each time she coughs.... parenthood is for the birds!!

Happy Australia Day!

Hello to all,

Happy Australia Day, the day when we celebrate the fact that we get to live in an awesome country, with freedom, space and choice.

Early this morning my brain starting buzzing - 5 am early !! I spent a little while trying to will my mind to stop thinking, but by 5.30 I was sitting, sketch pad and pencil busy!

LOVE BUGS !

 

This sweet set is perfect for garden projects.

I love it when a plan comes together!

Hope everyone is happy and well.

x-x

Lisa

Hoppy Bunny time

Hi all,

Firstly let me say to those who are affected by the devastating floods, I am so sad for your loss, inspired by your strength and committed to helping in what ever way I can. We in the unaffected areas have watched in horror, cried for the lost and prayed for you all. I'm sure in the coming months there will be opportunities for everyone to contribute in some way to the rebuilding of communities, please help in whatever way you can.

Of course, as with everything in life, even while nature wrecks havoc, the world keeps spinning and life goes on. I have my husbands family visiting this week, and lots of eating and swimming.

I have created a Button Bliss Profile page on Facebook. It seems a bit vain and silly but apparently many designers are finding connections with followers easier through Facebook, so... if you would like to come and find me and "like" me (Button Bliss), you can receive little updates through there also.

I have also been in a creative mood and have managed to design an adorable little Easter Bunny- with plenty of time to get him ready before the hoppy day arrives. While I do intend to stitch him properly, as I wandered past my craft cupboard I spied a blank calico bag and my brain did a little somersault. So I traced my bunny and painted him and he is sooooo cute..

 

 

Now I know that die-hard stitchers may be horrified, but think about it - a bag costs around $2 on ebay, this guy took less than an hour to paint ( over two days to allow each colour to dry fully). He's cute, it's adorable and with very little effort I've created a great little gift for someone - Total cost ? probably $2.30 . A good friend of mine has 3 daughters all lactose intolerant so for Easter each year they get new Pyjamas - how sweet would they look tucked up in this special bag!

Of course one idea leads to another so I had to convert my bunny into a special painted button

 

Look at those eyes!

So cute, both the buttons and the design for the Bunny stitchery will be on the Button Bliss website later this evening.

Okay I am off to cook a BBQ, will be back in a day or so to show you my next surprise,

Much love, be safe

Lisa

x-x

Happy New Year 2011

Hi to everyone. I hope the holiday season has been happy and peaceful for all.

We spent Christmas day at home with Nanna and Pop visiting, and lots of yummy food. The kids all slept in til 8.30am and it was a very relaxed day!

Yes I ate too much, yes I had a little Nap, yes there are still chocolates and chips left over from the excessive treat slurge.

On the 27th my MIL came to visit. I am blessed with a lovely Mother In Law, she is the easiest house guest to have, the kids adore her and she is happy to do whatever the family is doing (even if that is watching StarTrek).

On one of the days we went to Bright. one of my most favourite places to visit , especially t this time of year, with lots of little creeks to paddle and play in, and a cooler temperature. I also got to visit my very best favourite shop Country Heart and Home - This store has been a little haven of country yumminess since I started crafting, and owner Amanda has encouraged me every step of the way. I sneaked a pic -

 

I can't even explain this store to you, you have to visit and go and have a coffee and come back again! And even if you spent 3 hours in there you still won't have seen everything. Amanda makes trips to the US and brings back absolutely gorgeous homewares, and has started to delve into the addictive world of quilt designing, with a beautiful range of fabrics and hard to get patterns ( yup, I brought home a kit to keep me happy)

If you are ever in Bright or even just in Victoria, this is one of those "bucket-list" stores- don't miss it.

The other exciting news in our house, is yesterday Sarah was baptised. I know that at 6 it's a little unusual, not an infant, not an adult, but it was most definitely her choice and at her request.

As we don't attend a particular church and because my Dad was a Pastor before retiring, we asked if he would baptise Sarah in our home (he also baptised our first three children). Some of you may not agree as we weren't 'at church', but for Sarah and us, it was the most wonderful celebration, just about a little girl and God.  For those of you who would like to see here is a little photo album ( you might need to wait a few secs for the photos to load).

Create a free digital slideshow

Have you discovered Smilebox yet ? it is an awesome free way to share special photos- www.smilebox.com

For those who watched, I'm sure you can see that Sarah was delighted and excited, in her cubbyhouse chapel ( building-in-progress with Pop and Daddy)

Lots of creative thoughts are racing through my head as I enjoy 6 wks free from study. Stayed tuned, the best is yet to be.

Much love

Lisa

 

 

It's beginning to feel alot like Christmas

Hello everyone,

We are now into December which means our Christmas tree is up and the lights are all twinkling. My Christmas tree is very colourful, bright and happy, Sarah and I decorated it ( apparently the older kids are too cool to do it anymore). and Sarah says it is the beautifulest tree in the whole earth.

One of my pet hates is tinsel- for some reason it is almost impossible to get every last scrap of errant tinsel swept up at the end of the holiday season. My solution- curling ribbon, it's just as happy and pretty and easy peasy to pack up.

I love opening up the decoration boxes each year. There are always a couple of decorations which I have forgotten I owned, so finding them is like a little present!. I have some favourites, which taken centre stage.

This set of little vases were my grandparents and are over 50 years old. They usually had christmas bush or gardenias in them - even now every single time I smell a gardenia I think of my Poppy.

My other favourite is this Natvity group. I painted them myself, long before Button Bliss was even thought of, from a project in an American magazine. I love Josephs face - he looks just like a shell shocked brand new Daddy!

We are so lucky in Australia to have sunny days and lovely warm summer evenings at Christmas time. It is perfect for end of year celebrations, graduation parties and casual BBQ's ( not to mention pleanty of seafood!)

-x-x-x-x-x-

I have finally completed my first year of nursing study with two weeks of placement in an aged care facility. It was a very steep learning curve, exhausting and immensely rewarding all at once. I just have a case study to complete and then I have a couple of months of nothing to do!

So this week while I was supposed to be studying, the creative bug bit me! Terrible timing, but some very cute Button Bliss buttons have come out of it.

You might remember some handpainted Penny rugs I had designed a couple of years ago. Well I found the design again and have made the cutest Prim Blessings set

And thanks to a request from a friend of my Mum's I designed a new Christmas bauble..the design wheels started churning again and I have created this adorable Christmas Bauble Set .....

These are 6 cm tall and are adorable as gift tags, decorations for the tree or in scrapbook projects.

I also have another new set of Christmas Buttons but haven't photographed them yet so you will have to wait til next time for e peak at them.

Hope everyone is having a happy holiday season, and enjoying time with family and friends.

Love

Lisa

x-x-x

 

christmas is nearly here!

Hi everyone,

it is less than a month til the jolly fat dude comes ho-ho-ho ing down the chimney , dragged along by some demented and misguided deer.

I have finished my revised nativity "Away In A Manger" stitchery design - now available on the Button Bliss website,

Happy stitching friends,

Lisa

xxx

Christmas stitching

Regular readers know I have changed my patterns to E-Patterns, making them easier and far quicker to deliver. Unfortunately it also meant that some designs such as the Away In A Manger pattern was unusable as the buttons of Mary, Joseph and Manger were the highlight of the design.

So this week I have been busily stitching the remake of Away in a Manger

I painted the background in a simple wash of blue, pink, brown, grey and green. Then have stitched and stitched - I haven't completed the wording yet but I'm soooo close!

I added blush pink to the cheeks and some dark grey shading to the donkey with my artists pastels after stitching - if you don't have a box yet YOU MUST GET SOME! A set of 24 colours at an art store will cost around $18 and will last you forever - I have been using mine for 5 years now and have barely made a dent.

Just grab a cotton bud and add the shading wherever you want it!

It is so much nicer than watercolour pencils and you never get those pencil lines which are the bug-bear of watercolour users.

After I return from our holiday this pattern will be available on the Button Bliss website for download - a sweet, naive Christmas Nativity design to add to the festive atmosphere in your home.

Have a great week

Hugs

Lisa

XXXXX

box of buttons for me

What a funny week it's been. I have hideous sinisitis at the moment so I look like I have a massive hangover. Jason, Darling Daughter No 3 and I are off to QLD on Monday for a week holiday - some of my longer readers might remember my posts from when we took DD no 2 away Part 1  and part 2 .

It is a little tradition in our family to take each child away when they reach the end of primary school to have some special time one on one with Mum and Dad. Lani is nearing the end of her time in Primary so we are off to once again brace the rides and excitement at Wet and Wild Water world and Dreamworld. I am also going to sneak in a visit to that special little baby boy who was born last year. He is 18 months old now and adorable, I can't wait to see him and his parents again.

Because we are going away I am trying to get our house in some sort of order for Nanna and Pop to come and stay. All of a sudden I feel the need to produce baked goods for lunch boxes ( even though for the past year I have been okay with a muesli bar and a jam sandwich. The puppy thinks it is all looking rather promising, but she thinks everything I do is fantastic. She did get clippered and went from looking like a black fat, fluffy maltese to a skinny mini poodley tiny greyhound body. Frankly she looks hilarious! Poor baby couldn't figure out why I snorted laughing every time I looked at her to begin with.

Also on in our fair town this weekend it the Jazz Festical - its a pretty huge event and of course all the locals know that trying to get near the shops in the next 3 days will be murder. So I and 60000 other homemakers decided to get to the supermarket early today. It was absolute bedlam! I think I stood at the checkout for nearly an hour, in the vague kind of state when I suddenly spied something -

A lovely container of fat, chunky buttons for little kids to thread 

 

MMMMMmmmm  I couldn't resist them!

Jack had his school formal this week - he is 16 and so super cool, didn't really want me to take pics - but I did anyway, I even managed to sneak one of him doing the formal dancing ( happy Mummy dance)

The formal finished at midnight and all kids were to be collected from the hall door.

Off I went to collect my lovely boy. Get to the Hall and No Jack! I asked some kids if they knew if he'd gone "Yep yep.. pretty sure he's left"

Okay.."do you know who he went with ?"  NOPE

I raced home thinking he got a lift with buddy and would be sitting on the doorstep of a locked house- NOPE

What to do??? Just then a message comes through on mobile ( at 12-14am)

 

" I'm walking home with Andy, leave the back door unlocked."

 

LOLOLOLOL HAHAHAHA LOLOLOLOL

Are you out of your mind? Have you forgotten who your mother is?

Ring him and find out where he and andy are ( at the corner store at the hospital) go off to collect.. take some time to actually find them... why??? because they found a TOAD and it was in the middle of the road and so they were catching it and moving it so it was safe.

Two sheepish little boys, giggling like preschoolers get in the car and all they could talk about was a toad. Not so grownup after all!

Have a happy weekend XXXX

All finished...now what?

Just wanted to show you a pic of the dollshouse on Sarahs wall - she was up at 5.30am this morning re-arranging the dolls and furniture!!

Its so cute! Sarah of course wants more bits and pieces to play with, I added a teddy, handbags, rabbit and birthday cake. This morning she decided I should make a pond and some ducks! To be honest it's easy, draw them, cut them out and laminate.

Sarah's a pretty smart little cookie, and she is a performer. He latest party trick ( which has now been demonstrated for the entire school) is this........ 

 

She has an impressive collection of plastic party cups in her favourite colour blue, and really can't understand why every child doesn't own, or even want a huge stack to play with. She does get VERY cross if Abby (the puppy) gets a bit too enthusiastic and knocks them down

I've almost finished stitching my next design for you, and I am also figuring out some new Button Bliss Christmas E-Patterns. I am changing the Away In A Manger stitchery so you can stitch Mary and Joseph... that is my project for this weekend... Stay tuned...

Hope you are all happy and well,

I'm off to take Abby for her first haircut. We might find out what is hiding under all that black fluff

Love Lisa

x-x

 

Rain Rain go away

This weekend I am yet again a single Mum - Hubby, who works away during the week was unable to get home as all roads were closed due to flooding.The amount of rain we have had in the past few weeks has been outrageous, and the poor ground just doesn't know what to do with it anymore.

Sarah was very upset that her Daddy wouldn't be back til next weekend. She is desperate to show him her new room - the old Button Bliss work room is now a very pretty, girly bedroom.

I have been so busy! I painted the walls the prettiest blue-lilac, new bed and doona covers, a special thick wool rug on the floor and on one wall, a grassy mound with a gorgeous dollshouse mural on it - I bought it online from Tots N Tales -and will eventually look like this, but with blue walls.

The dollshouse furniture, people flowers and trees are all repositionable stickers - but.... I have laminated ours and cut them out so thety can be attached with blu-tack, when the paint on the walls has cured.

The pussy cat thinks the new bed is the comfiest place in Wangaratta, Puppy thinks the house on the wall is an enemy who must be subdued with lots of barking and Miss Sarah says she has never slept in such a beautiful room before. Her favouritest FAVOURITE thing is the silver framed full length mirror. It is perfect for practicing ballet swirls, and for checking to see if you look just like a real Mummy with your pram and handbag.When I walk in the room, I am amazed at how a room which has been my home and haven for so very long has been transformed into a perfect retreat for my littlest princess.

The laser machine is now re-housed out in the workshed, buttons are packed away in large boxes and for the first time in several years there aren't wall to wall buttons.

Nursey studies are going along fine - this week we practised doing a full bedbath and change the sheets with the patient in the bed. Our friendly prac room dummy "Dan the Man" was quite difficult to get in and out of his PJ's but otherwise all went according to plan.

As for buttons, I have yet again delved into my boxes and created two new sets - Cupcake Kisses Set

And Tea Party

Yep! That is the cake platter from my Cupcake Kisses stitchery, as well as my old teapot and teacups - they used to be painted but I kinda like them in this neutral timber.

Once again numbers of these packs are limited as I am only popping out to the shed occassionally now to cut things. I am in love with the new packs, as they are more like little stories than lonely individual buttons.

Hope everyone is happy and well where ever you are,

Much love

Lisa

x-x

 

 

Button Bonanza

I have spent the past 4 days packing away boxes and boxes and boxes of buttons. For a while they are going to have a long sleep in a dark corner! However it seemed a shame to put everything away so I have gone through them and made up some special packs and listed them on the website. Pre-made packs are more manageable for me, as I can control the numbers available.

Numbers are very limited as I have only packed what I already have cut, right now there is no time to design new buttons or for painting... so if you see a pack you love, be warned that there may only be a handful available.

This is my favourite! I forgot about these ghosts and pumpkins! There are only 17 packs and I have no plans to remake them so if you are in the mood for some spooky fun grab a set now!

There are 2 stitching packs, a music pack, jungle animals and Aussie animals, friendship garden, Babushka Sets and a few angels ( again these are very limited in quantities ) all on the Button Bliss website.

 

I also am making sets of the baby buttons in pink and blue , and cats and dogs, some more country garden sets - hopefully I will get to them before the weekend. Otherwise, slowly but surely our house is changing from a giant workshop into a family home. Sarah has been having a ball helping me bag everything up and the plan is to have the laser machine in the shed by next weekend. I will still be designing and creating, Larry the Laser will still be getting his exercise, but in the workshed not our second bedroom!

Week Two of the school holidays and we are definitely now in relaxed mode. Sarah has developed an unhealthy addiction to The Sound Of Music. Right now as I type the hills are alive... again!!She is fascinated with the idea of all those children and wonders how everyone knows the right dance steps. She loves Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang too! I wonder if I should find a copy of The King and I now??

The sun is shining in the prettiest blue sky, so I'm off to make a coffee and sit outside with some stitching - have you all downloaded the free Santa Pattern from the last post - I'm stitching him this morning - just wait to see what I've got for you next!!!

Love to All

Lisa

xxx

School Holidays again

Hi all, its school holidays for us again , and except for Miss Sarah, all other kids are definitely in teenage-night owl mode. It's like their body clocks have reversed or something. 

Sarah on the other hand has not mastered the art of sleeping in yet. This morning I woke up to a full and detailed synopsis of Mary Poppins. 

*The happiest bit is when Mary wins the horse race ( took me a while to remember that Mary didn't take the kids down to the TAB, she was on a merry-go-round )

*The best bit is when the boy figures out how to click his fingers and his bedroom tidies itself up (I would like that skill myself),

*The "little bit sad and little bit smiley bit" is when the old guy from the bank laughs alot then stops laughing and falls down and gets deaded. (???)

* And the very saddest bit is when Mary Poppins has to go away.

All before 6.15am

 I have a little pressie for you, do you want to stitch along with me?

I have a great Santa who is only partway stitched , but I thought you might like to race me to the finish line. 

I have coloured mine with Acrylic craft paints and plan to add white artists chalk to the white areas when I've finished stitching. I wish I'd tea dyed the fabric now for more contrast - oh well- someone else might like to try that.

 Free Stitchery Pattern -  Download Santa 2010

Painting instructions are HERE .

Have fun stitching

Love to all- we are now going to watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang......Again.

Lisa

xxx

Hello again

Hello again to all my friends.

I have had a lovely little break, taken the time to regroup and reconsider where this thing is going. What started out as a few buttons for a friend has grown to be an enormous (and unwieldy) collection.

I have enjoyed the journey of creation for each of those little designs, but now I feel the need to down-size. I want to go back to making the very special buttons that make me do a happy dance in the kitchen. I want to be sure that each and every little painted treasure that goes out is the best it can be. I also want to have time with my family, and time to focus on my nurse-y studies.

Some of you have noticed that the Button Bliss website has had a closed sign in its window for the past month. Happily today I have re-opened the doors. It has had a fresh coat of paint and is looking gorgeous.

I have re-written my patterns as E-Patterns and from now on that is the format they can be purchased in. An E-Pattern solves several problems for me. Firstly, lets face it..no-one wants to wait for the postie. We are impatient and want our products ASAP. E-Patterns will be email-delivered to your computer, usually within 12 hours of purchase and you have no postage costs, wonderful news for overseas visitors.

You can save them, print the entire pattern and instructions or just print the pattern page.

Which brings me to the next solved problem. Increasing costs of production mean that Paper patterns in a store now cost upwards of $15.  For that you are purchasing a few pieces of paper and a plastic bag. In releasing designs as E-Patterns I can keep my costs very low, so all the patterns added to the site today are just $4 or $5. That is a massive saving to you ( and our trees!). It also means that I don't fall behind in Pattern-packing, I save the storage space and my family doesn't have to pick their way among boxes of patterns in our home. 

On to Buttons.

I plan on adding some buttons back to the site in the next few weeks. These will be in limited numbers and not all the collection will return. As much as I understand some people really need a green train for a project, I'm afraid my time and energy just isn't up to the task of keeping stocks of over 500 button designs on hand all the time. Beautiful angels, babushkas, little sleepy babies and special flowers will return, I promise. Again, the sheer numbers of the previous collection meant there were buttons in every corner of our home, and they took up every minute of my free time.

This past month has shown me how quickly children grow, how easily it is missed and how precious each moment with them can be. Marriage takes work and commitment not only of the heart but a commitment to spend time with each other, something I have neglected as Button Bliss grew. I know you will understand and support my decision to place my focus back where it belongs ... on my family.

I look forward to sharing this next step of the journey with you. I am still designing and have lots of new ideas to share, it just might be a lazy wander along the garden path between friends rather than the hectic pace I have tried to maintain up til now.

Love to all,

Happy stitching and creating

Lisa

x-x

Universal life lesson # 213

Thank you to the universe who keeps sending me important life lessons.

Today's lesson was titled-

" Never take small Prep child to school wearing slippers, bra-less and hair a-la naturale unless you are absolutely 100% positive she will walk herself to her classroom "

LESSON LEARNED !!!   ***sigh***

More fun in the work room today - Emo/ Funky/ Teenage Rock Princess, not so prissy Butterflies

Babushkas and patchwork hearts

I woke up this morning at the unseemly time of 5am with an idea for a new button - I LOVE it when that happens. So I am in my workroom, very excited to show you my new Patched Up Heart

Its so cute - 42mm wide

My early thoughts were based on a new way of prepping and painting - hmm what else can I try it out on? I know...Babushka ( Matroyshki) -

Another little happy dance in my kitchen.... then I spied a baby pram, but didn't want to use white....

 

Lots of fun, a bit messy but I am loving the results so it's worth it.

Have a happy day everyone, don't forget to visit the Button Bliss website, so many yummy new buttons in the What's New section

Lisa

-x-

Back To School Day - Yayayay!

Victorian school holidays finish finally today and it's back to school for all junior people in our house, and for me on Tuesday. The holidays have been peaceful and pretty boring all round. We didn't go anywhere or do much, just mooched around in Jammies and ate lots of junk food. Sarah has painted, stitched and playdohed, been to the movies to see Toy Story 3 ( yes I cried !) walked the puppy, loved the puppy, dressed the puppy, taught the puppy some impressive ballet steps and generally tormented it. I think the biggest sigh of relief will come from Abby when the kids head out the door today.

With time on my hands these past couple of weeks, I have been doing LOTS of thinking about Button Bliss and where it is headed. We are having a MASSIVE sale right now, clearing some shelves and making way for fresh new ideas ahead What you need to know is a special secret code word to enter in the shopping checkout -

the code word is clearance

And what will that do? Well it will discount your shopping by 40% ! 

                       

Feel free to tell your friends about it, but they must have that secret code word!

Make sure you check out the What's New page - there are lots and lots of new buttons on there, some things I made up a year ago and completely forgot to add to the site, and some special one-offs like this gorgeous Burgundy Babushka - I planned to make lots of these , but found that the painted etc was way too hard and so she is a one-off princess! 

As I clear out cupboards and boxes, I am finding more of these little treasures so keep an eye out for them.I have also added these lovely primitive Night Sky Angels with two dainty hearts.

So, if you feel like making a cuppa and having a wander through the Button Bliss pages, come on over - don't forget the word clearance, and tell your stitching and scrapping friends,

Love to all,

Lisa

The Things You Do For Love........

Today started out quite normal - I got the kids up, coffee in hand and started the morning drill - "Eat your breakfast, clean your teeth, brush your hair, find your homework, did you clean your teeth?? Go and clean your teeth...."

Allana went to make sure her two mousies were happy, with food and water.  She came bawling her eyes out. "They're dead!" She was so upset and sad, decided she must have fed them something bad. You know that feeling as a Mum when your heart just breaks seeing your child so distressed. We sat and cuddled and I promised to bury them somewhere safe, and that we would find a nice little plant to put on top (always fraught with danger given my lack of gardening prowess). I asked her to bring their little cage out to me. 

There I sat as the kids got ready, with Allana hiccupping and trying to un-puff her eyes. The little pink cage in front of me with two little furry bodies, with wood chips scattered on them. I thought it just wasn't right to leave them like that til we buried them so I reached in to brush the woodchips away. As I moved them , a little tail kind of ....wiggled. Not much but a movement. I poked gently at the other mouse and the tail moved slightly. I swear I wasn't even breathing ! I picked them up and their little feet wriggled. They were soooooo cold. She had left them in the laundry overnight on cold tiles, and it was below zero here last night.

I didn't want Allana to get her hopes up. I got the wheat heat pack and warmed it up. I sat cupping my hands over them, lying on the heat pack, and little noses stared twitching.

I called Allana and we sat watching her lovely little mousies come back to life, as they warmed up eyes popped open and whiskers wiggled. It was so exciting and happy, and crazy

 

Allana has gone off to school grinning from ear to ear. Mousies are now safely wrapped in a woollen sock in their cage in a warm spot. They've eaten and walked around, I never thought I'd be so happy to see them running about. So now you may all call me "the mouse whisperer".

Sneak peak at my new Christmas trees. They are bit funky and kooky - just like me!

Hope you are all happy and WARM where ever you are, I'm off to check on those precious little mousies again before I head off to study for a test.

Love to all furry and non-furry friends,

Lisa

x-x-x

hello world!

Hello everyone, yes it's been ages, I've had my head deep in the study books, learning all about the anatomy and physiology of the human body and learning the basics of personal care- bed making showering, bed bathes.Lots of information to take in, I admit there have been days when I feel completely overwhelmed, but I love the class, the study and the great friends I am making there. It was funny to explain to them what I've been doing with my time til now - no stitchers at all in the group so I think they think I'm a bit loopy making buttons LOL.

I have also been very busy with the newest member of the household - hold your breath, cause she's adorable....

Say hello to Miss Abby! She is mostly poodle with a little bit of Foxy thrown in for fun. She is 12 weeks old now, just gorgeous and fun. she is also spoilt rotten, a big sookie-la-la if I won't pick her up for a cuddle, and has our entire family wrapped around her fat fluffy paws. Right now she is asleep on my feet, she thinks she is a slipper. The kids are learning fast that having a pup is much like having an 18 month old in the house, if you have something special put it up high or she will get it.

I have also been painting and designing and have several new projects on the table - some very pretty stitchings heading your way soon.

In the mean time, here are some little angel babies, snoozing in their jammies. They are large feature buttons -8 cm long, and would be great for stitching a special baby keepsake or for scrapbooking.

Already in the What's New section of the Button Bliss Website.

I hope everyone is happy and well, where ever you are in the world.

Happy Stitching friends,

Lisa

xxx

Who moved my steering wheel?

Up bright and early today we were, with a busy day ahead.

The older kids had walked to school and I was dropping Miss 5 off, mentally checking through all that I needed to fit into the next few hours.. buttons to be posted, a book to be collected, photocopying and pattern covers to be ordered and a study date with a nursey friend.

 
Our school has a 'drive-through' drop off point at the very front of the school. It fits 3 or 4 cars at the most and at 8.45 it is prime real estate. Building works around the school means there is virtually no parking and every mother is in a queue heading for the coveted drop off.I pull up, at the very front of the Drop Off, a colourful line of 15 or so cars waiting behind. I got out and helped Miss 5 with her back pack and book bag, the "Corncob starts with C" item for the sharing table, kissed her gorgeous little face and let her walk inside. I got back in the car and .....

SOMEONE had stolen the steering wheel ! Little giggles threatened as I realised I had got into the backseat of the car and shut the door. Large giggles of hysteria started when I found that I had, as a conscientious mother, flicked the child locks on the rear doors, and was now STUCK in the back seat.

I own a very small car, which is normally perfect for me, but not an ideal size for me to squeeze my ample backside through between the front seats. LOL There was me, in peak school drop off, butt in the air, nose squished against the windscreen as I tried to get my legs to clamber through, avoiding the gear stick and trying to not break off the rear view mirror. Halfway across, puffing and panting and wondering how I find myself in these situations, giggles turned into snorts as I imagined the view all the Mums behind were getting. 

Finally seated in front of my steering wheel, I started the car and gracefully pulled out of the Drop zone - and tried to find some composure for the rest of the morning.

On Monday I think we will walk!