Spring everywhere

My girls are on their school holidays this week and we took the opportunity of a fine day to visit Cornwall Park yesterday. There are gorgeous lambs everywhere.



It was hard work keeping these two little monkeys from running at them to give them cuddles but we managed it in the end!

There were these beautiful chickens too.

And as I'm talking about Spring, have a look at this gorgeous gift Maddy made for her Gran.

All you need is a plastic plant pot, some card, felt tip pens, sellotape, scissors, buttons, glue, wooden skewers and some plastocine or some oasis (the green stuff you use for flower arranging).

Draw and cut out the flowers and people. Colour them in and stick them with sellotape on to the back of the skewers with the pointy side facing down. You can colour them green if you want to. Attach buttons to the middle of the flowers (I used my hot glue gun to do this otherwise they tend to fall off).

Stick the plasticine or oasis in the plant pot and tie a ribbon around it. Arrange your flowers and people and voila you are done. You may need to make some of the skewers a little shorter to get the right effect.

Enjoy the school holidays!

Bright and shiny

The lovely Hayley of Blankies who sells the most wonderful upcycled blanket quilts and applique cushions at the Devonport Craft Market, gave me an entire bag of tape measures at the last market. I haven't seen them in these beautiful colours before and it was lovely to be able to get stuck in to making a few today. I think they'll look great on bright Summer dresses. I've saved you a green one Hayley!

Cotton Kiwi launches today!!

I turned my computer on this morning and got a very exciting email from Etsy.com telling me that I had made a sale in my new shop. My baby blue sweater bear is going to a new home in America!

To celebrate my first sale, I am going to relaunch as Cotton Kiwi today. Don't you love my new logo? Its by Jess of Bam Bam Creative and I really do love it.

Please be a little patient with me while I upload my new shops with goodies. Its market day again next weekend and with two little girls to sew summer wardrobes for as well time is a little tight! You can find links to my etsy and felt shops in the right hand column and my facebook fan page is here

Its raining its pouring

What a wet and windy and 'orrible day it is today. A big difference from those balmy Spring days of last week. I'm keeping Eloise entertained by printing off colouring in pages from this fab website . She's having a ball.

I've been working on some things for my stall at The Devonport Craft Market and some more new Summer clothes for the girls. I'll be adding some tutes for creating a little girls summer wardrobe shortly so watch this space.

"Summer Holiday" patchwork throw cushions

Baby bibs

Change is in the wind

Spring is here and it's time for a change. TOTO will be relaunching as Cotton Kiwi in October. Watch this space for my wonderful new logo design from Jessica Whiting of Bam Bam Creative. In the meantime, have a look at these beautiful spring pics taken in our garden and in my Parents-in-Law's stunning garden a few days ago.

Yay for Spring!!

This is the Tui that has taken up residence in the tree outside our kitchen. Isn't he beautiful?

4th October Devonport Craft Market

The poster for next month's market arrived in my inbox this morning. I LOVE it. Well done Katja!!


I love how all the sellers who design a poster for the market come up with something so different each month. We have two requirements. It has to be native bird themed and black and white.

The October market will be number 6 but we've only been doing the native bird posters for 4 of the markets.

Claire of the Anti-Fashion League who designed the Pukeko poster made knitting bags using the knitting Pukeko design for last month's market. I was lucky enough to nab one for myself.

Market day

It was the 5th Devonport Craft Market last Sunday and I had a very busy couple of days finishing everything I needed for my stall and setting up the market. We had a wonderful day. Lots of beautiful sunshine and about 700 people through the doors. I managed to take a few pics of my stall:

New t-shirt designs


New Teacup pincushions

Tape measure brooches

Plushies looking for new homes

Robot tee.

This little piggy went to market

How cute is this little piggy? He not actually going to market at all even though its the Devonport Craft Market this weekend. I made him for Maddy. She has book week at school next week and is going as Fern from Charlottes Web in the favourite book parade. I got the tute to make him from here. It's a really easy to use tutorial and I love how he turned out. Now I have to decide if I'm brave enough to make a Charlotte spider.

I also finally finished my knitted zebra. I bought a Wild Friends kit when I was on holiday in Australia recently. They are really easy to use but I am a really not a knitter so he's taken me a while to finish. Here he is anyway:

I think he's going to end up as a new baby gift. He's rather squashy. Just perfect for little cuddles!