Happy New Year

Hello everyone...it's been a while. We've had a household full of bugs and aches and pains of varying kinds for the holidays, so blogging was not really on the agenda. My poor son came home for a wee break from Uni and ended up sick in bed for a few days. Not the kind of rest he was hoping for - but it was lovely to see him anyway.

So, have I managed any crafting over the holidays? Not a whole lot. I have started to crochet a scarf...I think it might be ready by next winter! At least I won't run out of yarn. It cost me around 90p at a charity shop!

I've done a bit of card-making in the last couple of days now that my craft-room has been vacated (it doubles as my son's bedroom).  I also have a long list of sewing and other creative projects lined up for 2013. Currently I am keeping the list in my head because if I commit it to text and then never get around to anything on the list I'll feel bad ! This way...you'll never know what it was I didn't do! I'm mean like that!
Mwa ha ha ha !

I can't show you all this card cos the recipient might see it!

I hope you all had a good holiday and that you have a wonderful 2013.

Bean Bag

Isn't this adorable? My little girl designed and made her own bean bag yesterday. She decided to decorate it with a Little Owl called Plop, who they have been reading about in school. She filled her bean bag with some out of date rice I keep for such things and also a handful of lavender so that when you throw and catch the beanbag, the smell is delightful. This was also her first experience of using the sewing machine with my help.

(The old singer is great for learning on. You can go at your own pace and not risk sewing your fingers as much as on an electric machine.)

My first interlined curtain

I finished the door curtain at last. I still have another one to make the same. It seems to have made a difference to the warmth of the room.

The fabric is a heavy chenille and when I took the fabric roll out my store cupboard where it had been for a few years,  it was much nicer than I remembered, so that was a bonus.  It was mostly sewn by hand and with the weight of the fabric plus the interlining, it kept me really cosy whilst I was sewing it on my lap.

I might try making a throw backed with some interlining once I have finished the other curtain.

Excuse the mess either side of the curtain. This is my utility room and currently has piles of ironing waiting to be done plus other works in progress.

Hello Old Friend!

Hello old friend. It's been a while. Around 30 years. You're ageing better than me, that's for sure!
Now does your machinery all still work? Can I remember how to thread your needle and wind on the bobbin? Let's see...

Why, yes I can!  It all came back to me in an instant...easier than riding a bicycle.
What a beautiful whirring sound you make...I'd forgotten how much I loved it.
It brought a tear to my eye. Now what shall I sew for a first little project?

A pin cushion with a picture of one of your old buddies. Perfect.

Next task...a door curtain...a little more of a challenge perhaps.  Never done interlining before...first time for everything!

The Printer saga...

You'd think buying a laser printer couldn't possibly be such a hard task wouldn't you? But when you want that printer for specific purposes and it has to meet certain requirements it's quite frankly a pain in the butt!  I'm not usually very wordy here, 'cos I know that very wordy blogs make me go cross-eyed, so I apologise for the following rant!

I currently own an old HP workhorse of a printer which does what I need except it is not a USB connected printer and I have no printer port on our current PC. It is currently taking up the whole counter in the Utility room right now where it is plugged into our old PC which takes around 15 minutes to decide to turn on. Not the ideal situation.

We use our laser printer firstly as a regular printer - for the song sheets for church on a Sunday when my husband and myself are on the music. I also use a laser printer for transferring images to fabric using Citrasolv, and for transferring images to polymer clay.

You'd think that retailers would be able to give you sample printouts from a variety of printer models, but this is not the case. I finally found one company who were able to send me some samples. I requested samples from a few entry level machines and the sample they sent from the Xerox Phaser worked brilliantly -so I thought. So I ordered the machine only to find out after that the sample they sent me was from a High end Xerox machine and not the Phaser I was interested in. I set up the printer, found a spot for it near the computer, very excitedly printed out my test sheet. Applied the Citrasov, did the usual burnishing, slowly peeled back the paper to reveal underneath...absolutely nothing! It did not transfer one little bit! Completely useless to me! Very frustrating!  It is now all packed up in it's box waiting to be picked up and returned for a refund.

I have been in touch with HP and  Epson and nobody could send me any sample printouts. Brother were the most helpful, very helpful in fact, but the printout didn't work so that was a shame. I am waiting to hear back from Dell. They couldn't send me a sample but yesterday when I chatted with an agent I was told that I could order the printer and if it didn't suit could send it back at no cost to myself. Today when I chatted with them, I was told there would probably be a charge. So you can see my frustration...please if anyone has recently bought a laser printer and you know it works with Citrasolv, then can you tell me what model it is.
Thanks :-)

OK, I'm done!

Time for a spot of sewing...

This is my prototype for a new little pocket watch pin cushion. It turned out pretty cute though I say so myself! I'm going to make a few more of these for my Etsy shop.

It's quite snowy here in the Highlands just now so I am staying in and trying to keep warm.  I've got a new printer to set up today...I've just got to work out how on earth I am going to fit it in the computer area.

I'm posting over at Blog Tonic today too with this card...

I hope you are having a nice day wherever you are!

Daisy Dies Giveaway

These daisy Dies from Tonic Studios are gorgeous. They are the perfect finishing touch for your cardmaking or scrapbooking project. They are compatible with most leading Die-Cut systems (additional spacer plates acrylic mats or shims may be required. ) 
Here's a card I made that has been embellished with one of these Die cuts.

The lovely people at Tonic have provided me with a couple of extras, so now I am able to offer these to one of  you...

...if you would like to get your inky paws on these two little beauties, this is what you need to do.

If you are a follower, then please leave a comment on this post letting me know what kind of craft product you spend the most money on, and you will be entered into the draw.

If you would like a second entry, then post about the Giveaway on your blog and let me know where and you will get a second entry.

If you would like a third entry, become a follower of Studio Gilead, my page on Facebook and let me know in a comment here.

The winner has been chosen, using random.org. The winner is Nannapat! 
Congratulations ! But seeing as how there was only 4 of you that wanted new dies, I have a little treat for all of you. So please get in touch and let me have your addresses. Thanks.