EeeeeK...!

We have mice,

loose in the house!

Where's that cat when you need him?!

This week has been new pattern week.  There are quite a few in the pipeline, some working better than others.  I have a few half finished animals sat on my desk, and others still in sketch form.  At least the ideas have been flowing, thank goodness!  There are potentially some big projects coming up.

ps, giveaway winner is..., (drumroll please)

well, it looks like Rusty is off to Italy (lucky thing!), to live with Dolci Fusa!

The return of the owl,

It has been quite a while since I did anything owlish, and this is why,

...the mini owl has arrived.  The Anchor kit is now available here, and contains all the instructions, templates and materials required to make one owl.

There is still time to join in the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post!

Right, back to work on some new patterns, my softie portfolio is beginning to look a little depleted, new designs are on their way!

Hello, this is Lucykate Crafts, and here is today's (giveaway) news...,

Mr LK has returned from Chicago, once through the front door he was brutally pushed aside and his bag ransacked by two small children who had heard a rumour he was in possession of new pairs of crocs.  Unfortunately for them, their mother beat them to it, the call of Orla goodies being stronger...!

YUM!

He was promptly given a hug as the good man had also picked up the latest copy of 'Mothering' magazine, which contains a rather lovely and beautifully written article called 'Crafty Mama's'.

There are interviews with 5 crafty bloggers including Amy Karol and Stephanie Congdon Barnes.

I am doubly pleased to have a copy of this as it also led me to the blog of the writer, The Artful Parent, which is well worth a visit.

In other news, the mobile for the mobile swap is complete and on its way across the pond to it's recipient.

I am embarrassed it is so late, but better late than never.  

And finally, after Trashalou's raffle to raise money for the Bushfire Appeal, the winner of Marmalade requested that she be sent off to the Toy Society, who are collecting donations to be passed on to children who lost everything in the fires.

That means Rusty is all alone and in need of a home.  So begins the 'find Rusty a home' appeal.  By way of apologising for completely forgetting it was my two year blogiversary last week (oops!), who would like to offer this poor, lonely pup a home?

Just leave a comment on this post, you can take part in a little market research for me, and let me know your favorite craft book, and why.  Comments will be closed as of midnight on Wednesday 25th March, so you have almost a week.

In the meantime, if you are in the UK and a mum, Happy Mother's Day for Sunday!

An ode to the colour red...,

I love the colour red, our couch is red (well, deep red, but that's close enough),

(red leather..., swoon!)

my wedding flowers were red, a lot of our ornaments are red,

we have a lot of red things in the (messy!) kitchen too.

(there really are worktops under all that, honest)

So, how pleased do you think I was to receive this in the post the other day?!.  It's my swap mobile from Sara of Kindred Crafters.  It's red, and it's toadstools, can't get more perfect than that.  I love it.

(eek, how hard is it to photograph a mobile?!, STOP SPINNING!)

It's hung in my sewing room at the moment, but I really want to put it above the table in the kitchen once I've got a hook in place to hang it from.

My own mobile is almost sorted and ready to go.  Something else almost ready to go is this flower, well rose to be more precise.  It's been sat on my desk for ages so am going to put it in Etsy, see if I can earn some money to go Etsy shopping myself, or...,

Mr LK is currently on an airplane (again!), en route to Chicago (nope, not jealous in the slightest).  How much Orla Keily kitchenware from Target can he realistically bring back?

I'm going to be hiting that 'find it at a Target store' button a lot over the next few days!

Post is here, post is here!

I've been working on my mobile for the mobile swap I'm signed up for...,

using the embroidered letter idea again really appealed to me, and this time there are four miniature ones addressed to the seasons.

There are some leaves to be embroidered ready to add into the mix too, the problem I have now is to sort out the actual construction of the mobile, not having made one before!

I'd quite like to just string them all in a row, but need to think about how, and with what, any mobile making tips would be greatly appreciated! 

Something new...!

I thought I'd try something new, they are a bit rough round the edges, it being a first attempt and all, but I have wanted to give making a video tutorial a go for a long time now.

  

The first is a little introduction and a tour of my sewing room (you get to see where Mr LK fell through the ceiling), and the second...,

is a simple tutorial for how to do free machine embroidery.  We've spent this evening playing around with 'imovie', and after persuading Mr LK to take the chipmunk sound effect off my voice, they have finally been uploaded to You Tube!

I think if I do more, I've learnt quite a lot from doing these two, the quality will be much improved next time round (and I'll use a tripod instead of a shaky hand!).  So what do you think?, an oscar or a razzie?

In all this excitement, I almost forgot it is my two year blogiversary on Monday, going to have to put my thinking cap on for how to celebrate!