Ninja turtle hat

Hi folks, thought I would share this hat that I have just made for my nephew .... ninja turtles are making a huge come back again so he can be warm and cool at the same time lol.

Poor little Ruby has had to model it until I can get a pic of my nephew in it - don't think she was very impressed lol 

Right, I have to dash because I am going to the ballet tonight to watch the Russian Ballet perform The Nutcracker - I am very excited :)

Be back soon, feeling all crafty again xxx

simple bridesmaid bracelet

Well, here I am just breezing in and out of blogland willy nilly. i have been away for ages - so sorry. I haven't really done any crafting at all for the past few months since I took up cycling.

Anyway, a good excuse to make a couple of bracelets. My brother in law is getting married at the weekend and they asked me to make bracelets for the younger bridesmaids. 

They are just a simple but classic deign really - nothing too fussy for young ones :)

Swaorvski Elements pearls with a Swarovski Elements crystal heart charm.

Hopefully I will be back soonish - see you all soon xxxxx

on yer bike .... and a freshwater pearl bracelet

Hi there, hope you are having a nice start to the weekend.

So something very strange has happened - I have been bitten by the cycling bug. Not a nibble but a massive great big BITE!

I have had a couple of rides out on my mountain bike this week ( 12 miles and 16 miles) and I won.t lie, the chunky tires really make it hard work.

Soooooooooooooo I have only gone and ordered a rather fabulous road bike .... just waiting to get my gorgeous new Cannondale ..... I think I am in love!

So if you are on Strava add me and we can follow each other. I am very excited about this and plan to get some serious miles in if I can.

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Oh yes, crafting lol ...... here is a freshwater pearl bracelet that I made for my sister to give to one of her friends as a gift.

A couple of pics and a bracelet

Hi, I am still alive even though it has been forever since I last posted. I have this week off so hopefully I will manage a couple of posts.

I am looking forward to also doing a bit more exercise this week. I joined slimming world a couple of months ago and have managed to lose a stone. I would love to lose another but I think it will slow down now so I am just going to try and tone up instead and see how it goes.

Here are a couple of pics of me from the weekend when I was all dressed up for the races. Looking almost like a lady lol....

We had a brilliant day and the weather was glorious. We even had a few wins to help pay for our drinks lol.

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Onto my bracelet. I haven't made anything in ages, or so it seems so I thought I would just make a quickie this evening. I am still loving turquoise this summer so I have made this blingy infinity bracelet ....

This bracelet is for sale so pop over to my Facebook page HERE for more details.

Have a fabulous week guys and see you all soon xxx

proud as poncho

Hi there, it is ages since my last post. I just do not know where the time has gone. I have been busy as usual with work and my crafts but sadly I haven't blogged.

I have really been enjoying watching the tour de France this weekend on the telly - it has been here round by us and wow, Yorkshire has done us all proud :)

I have been working on a poncho for myself the last few weeks. This is the first time I have made a large item and I am really pleased with it. It is all single crochet so it seemed to take ages but it was worth it. I am going to make another in dark grey - I bought the wool today so I will get it started soon.

I just need to autumn to arrive now :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

Lovely turquoise

Happy Sunday everyone. Wow, what a glorious weekend it has been. I got home from Turkey on Wednesday and I think I must have packed some sunshine in my suitcase because it has been lovely since I got home.

I have made quite a few bracelets since I arrived home so I will share them with you over the next few days. I go back to work tomorrow so there will not be much crafting.

All of the following bracelets have been made with turquoise stone beads which I bought from Beads Direct. I have had them a while but they still sell them ... you can buy theme HERE.

Turquoise certainly seems to be quite a fashionable colour at the mment so these will be right on trend. They could be worn alone or you could stack them which is also another popular look.

These are all stretch bracelets so they should fit anyone. All of these bracelets are for sale. You can either drop me a message if you would like one or why not visit my Facebook page and have a look at some of my other designs too.

Have a wonderful week. I will be back soon xxx

Tiny Treasure bracelet pattern review

Hi everyone, I hope you are having a lovely weekend. The weather is so changeable that I decided to stay in today and make myself a bracelet. It is my friend's wedding next weekend so I have a good excuse to make something just for me.

I had a look around online for a pattern that I liked and I found this pretty bracelet called Tiny treasure. The pattern is by BeeJang and you can find the link here.

I found the pattern very easy to follow. The instruction were clear and there are also lots of pictures to also help. I thought I would try some monofilament instead of my usual Fireline and I have to say I quite like it. i will need to wear my bracelet all night first before I decide to use it again but it seems very strong but also flexible. 

The beads I used are 6x8 crystal, 4mm bicones, 6mm Swarovski pearls and 11/0 seed beads. I used a toggle clasp in bronze which goes really nicely with the beads.

I decided to make a little video showing how the light captures the beads. I think in future I will always do a video but will probably plan it a bit better. This was all very impulsive and not really planned at all lol. Anyway, have a look and see how lovely it looks compared to the still photo.

I hope you found this useful. See you again soon xxx

Selling some craft stash

Good morning everyone. Just to let you know I have created a Facebook page for some of my craft stash that I am selling. Pop over and have a look. I will be adding more items so if you join the group you will be notified when new things are added.

Here is the link .... Marcea's Craft Stash Sale

Perfect for bridesmaids

Happy Monday everyone. I have been a bit quiet this week but I have been hard at work and then it was my friends hen party at the weekend. I needed a lazy day yesterday to recover lol.

I am still making another friends invitations for her wedding and so that is taking up a bit of my time. They should be finished tomorrow or Wednesday hopefully and then I can start making my jewellery again.

Here is a little bracelet I have made for a friend of mine to give to one of her friends. I think these are perfect for bridesmaids as they are simple, pretty and can be made in any colour.

I am off to get ready for my appointment at the doctors - it is time for me to have my holiday vaccinations - only 3 weeks until we go to Turkey - I can't wait!

Have a great day everyone, I will try and post tomorrow too xxx

Poncho set

Good morning everyone. What a busy week for me this week, 45 hours to work - only 6 left to do this afternoon thank goodness. Needless to say not much crafting has been done.

I am busy making wedding invitations for one of my colleagues though and i will share photos of them when she says I can lol.

In the meantime here is a photo my sister sent me of my little niece yesterday. She is wearing a cute crochet poncho and hat set that I made for her.

Hopefully I will have some new makes to share with you really soon

xxx

A musical interlude

Hi there, just a quickie whilst I am on my night shifts (and the sun is shining!!!!!!)

Here is a video of Ryan playing a solo at Brass in Concert last autumn

Just fabulous, I am sure you will agree 

Little poncho set

Good morning everyone. The start of a new week and it will be a week of night shifts for me - 4 of them starting tonight. I do not mind them too much but all you really do is just work or sleep. Never mind, I will have the weekend off which is a bonus. Ryan is coming home today for a couple of weeks so that will be nice to have him back for a while :)

I thought I would share a couple of photos of a poncho and hat set that I made for my little niece.

Looking at it she should also get some wear out of it in the autumn too.

Really enjoyed making this cute set.

Have a fab day xxx

Ryan made the finals of BBC Young Brass Award 2014

What a busy couple of days we have had. My son Ryan made it to the finals of the BBC Young Brass Player of the Year. The finals were broadcast live on Friday on Radio 2. What an absolutely brilliant evening. There were 4 players in the final.

I could not have been prouder of him. He played so well and his attitude is just wonderful. He had lots of people in the audience supporting him including some of the children he teaches on Saturdays who brought their parents along too.

Sadly he did not win but what an amazing achievement to have made the finals. If you would like to listen to him playing you can do so here ...... He is first on and plays at about 12 minutes into the programme.

You can also listen to his semi final performance here if you wish.

He plays without any music and completely scares me to death when he does this - clever lad lol.

Have a brilliant day everyone - hope you do not mind me sharing my news xxx

Kumihimo

Morning everyone. I have a day off today and I have been up with the birds - typical. At least it means I am not spending half the day in bed. Hubby is also off today too so we will probably pop out for some lunch later which will be nice.

I thought I would share a kumihimo bracelet today. I really do love these made with long magatama beads. There are endless colour combinations and they always look lush.

I will be back later in the week with some really exciting news about Ryan. 

Have a wonderful day

xxx

Just a quickie

Hi there, well my 2nd night shift has just ended and it has been a steady one. I am certainly ready for my bed. Just one more night tonight and then I have the ret of the weekend off.

Before I go to sleep I will share another bracelet with you all ....

Another classic combo of black and silver. The beads are black agate and Swarovski crystal pearls with a swarovski crystal flower charm.

I hope you like it

Ok, sleep for me - see you all tomorrow xxxxx

PS My Insanity workouts are doing great - I will be due to do my day 

19 when I get up - groan

Never mind, will all be worth it xxx

Sparkle your message and no make up selfie

Hi all, well I am back at work tonight for 3 nights shifts. I have enjoyed my time off work although it feels like ages since I was there. I am sure after 10 minutes it will feel like I haven't had any time off at all.

A busy day ahead. I need to do the supermarket shop - argh, what a pain and also get a few other bits and bobs from town. Then just a few little jewellery makes and I have to finishe a crochet project too if I get chance.

Most importantly is todays Insanity workout - Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs is on the agenda today - it is a killer lol.

Again I am looking through some recent makes to see what to share today.

This is a diabetes alert bracelet I made for a lady who did not want to wear the usual sort of talisman. Nice and blingy!!!!!! The sparkly letters are so pretty in real life and could be used for a name obviously instead.

More designs can be seen on my crafty facebook page HERE.

I thought i would also post my no make up selfie here. I popped it on facebook last night like lots of other women did - all trying to raise awareness for cancer. I know it won't cure it but things like this do get people talking about it and if someone checks their boobs for lumps and bumps as a result then it is a good thing in my opinion.

Right, better get my bum moving and get on with my 'to do' list.

Happy hump day guys xxxxxxxxxxxx

Classic black and silver

Hi there, well I have had another paper day which is so lovely. Nothing to show yet though - I met with my friend to finalise the layout for her wedding invitations and then went shopping for the supplies. I must admit I was tempted to pick a few of the paper pads up but I think I should wait until I at least make a card lol.

So I was wondering what to share with you today and decided on another bracelet.

I rewally love this bracelet and wear it a LOT. It is another one that looks similar to the more expensive designer brands. It is made from black agate beads with a sparkly shamballa bead as a focal bed. Little tiny spacer beads have been used which I used to use with brads on my cardmaking :)

Right, off to make a pot of chilli for tea and then onto day 16 of my Insanity workout - I am desperate to get in shape for my hols.

See you all tomorrow xxx

Cute bracelets

Hi everyone, hope you have all had a great Monday. I have been busy prepping wedding invitations for my friend for most of the day and I must admit it was lovely getting bits of paper out again. I even remembered how to use my die cutter lol.

I thought I would share a few bracelets I made this weekend. You can see more of the things I make on my Facebook page so pop over and have a browse. You can also ask for something that isn't there and I will do my best to make it for you.

This is a lovely suede bracelet featuring an infinity connector. I really love the colour, it seems to be in all the shops right now so this should be bang on trend for Spring. If you would like one they are £6 each

I made another is beige too......

I have also made a couple of these bracelets featuring a shamballa bead. I was wearing one this weekend at a hen party and someone thought it was one of the expensive designer ones - needless to say that made me really happy. I only charge £5 each for these ones so just yell if you would like one - again lots of colours are available.

and in turquoise ....

Right-ho, I shall try and pop back tomorrow or Wednesday. I start back on nights on Wednesday though so after that I probably won't be posting again until the weekend.

Have a lovely week xxx