Retro Caravan Craft Space { 2 }

No photo's today

 a big *SIGH* instead

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment...

what needs doing to make my crafty space reality is so far beyond my ability that it's all I can do not to have a good old grizzle over it!

The constant rain and dark skies don't make the problems look any better.

In my fantasy world I would either buy a nice 'new to me' van which is dry or pay a professional to come fix mine.

But that is a fault in me, I like to have instant fixes.

What I have to keep reminding myself is that all good things come to those who wait and hard work brings its own rewards.

So I take a deep breath and do what I do when I want to put my head firmly in a bucket of sand...

...pop the kettle on and pick up my crochet.

I guestimate 

{I wish spell checker would stop telling me guestimate isn't a real word!} 

that I still have another 50/60 squares to go on Lolly's blanket, which I would like to have done for Christmas {this year}

So perhaps it is meant to be that I cannot carry on working with the Crafty Van...for now

And perhaps I concentrate my efforts on the blanket.

All good things come to those who wait...

{repeat, repeat, repeat}

Retro Caravan Craft Space...

I've made no secret that I would Love A Craft Space all of my own!

I have a lovely large family, but we have a regular sized house and there simply isn't enough room for all my bits and bobs.

I thought about a new shed down the garden but in my heart of hearts I knew what I really wanted was a little caravan!

As always I had no budget.  So I knew it would be a waiting game for the right little van to come along....

and along it came!

It was terribly expensive

a whole £10 was handed over in exchange for this

A 1992 {I think} Sprite

It was and still is in a right old state!

I've said it before but the 'I could do that' attitude has taken me on many a crafty/DIY venture.  

From papering the walls, ripping the tiles off the kitchen and re-tiling, endless painting, furniture restoration, crochet, baking, tiara making, sewing... 

the list is literally endless.

It had been used by a young lad working away from home and was full of fag ash, butts, filthy clothes and vile bedding.  The real cherry on the cake was the HUGE bottle of pee he had left in it.

Filthy after months on a building site...in all honesty it was tempting to leave it behind, cut my losses and run to the hills

But I didn't.

I set about clearing the piles of crap and in the process found £1.83 in change, 2 PS3 controllers and a pile of DVD's with a 2nd hand value of around £20!! Oh and a nice pair of Wrangler jeans that my son can wear for work.

Inside was, on the surface, ok-ish.  

Filthy dirty but loked quite sound...

oh how wrong could I be!

With a screwdriver, a hammer and a dream I've set about gutting the van out.  

Bonkett seating has gone, the sink and hob ripped out.  If it didn't unscrew the hammer took care of it.

I've left one seat to store the awning 

{haven't checked it yet but hopeful it will be ok}

and the washroom wall has been left so I can create a bit of a storage space for the ugly bits.

The carpet had it's own eco-system and also went to the dump.

So whats left to do?...

Deepest of Deep Breaths

It has damp, lots of damp and that will be the biggest challenge. 

This is taking me way, way, beyond my comfort zone or ability

again

You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet...

and looks like you have to almost destroy an old caravan to bring it back to glory

4 days into the project that's where I'm at.

The work will be slow, done when I can afford it.

The aim is to have it in the garden for Summer 2015...but we'll wait and see!

Tear Jerker! - #MontyThePenguin

Nearly every year it brings me to tears...this year is no exception!

Lovely

My middle son has a bear called Hector and this ad is reminding me of them...

back to blanket making

The Candy Floss Suitcae...

I admit this could become an addiction/obsession,

...that said when you can make cush pretty things

who cares!!

This isn't mine, my sister is the lucky owner

Before the event it was a standard not very pretty vintage suitcase

Halfway through it was named...

The Candy Floss Suitcase

almost finished

and just awaiting the final touches
something to cover the nasty mark on top of the suitcase
What to do?
Decisions, decisions!

Ta-Da moment to follow...

***

Progress on the blanket...

I like to name my makes, call me quirky but it makes them more a part of the family.

So far, touch wood, this blanket is moving along nicely the pile of squares is growing at a surprising pace...

but it has no name and that simply wont do.

It is taking up my spare moments.

I don't like to crochet outside the house, I've tried it a couple of times and people seem to assume I know what I'm doing...which in all honesty I don't feel I do.  

That or I feel they think I'm simply showing off...which I'm definitely NOT

Back to the blanket.

I am this time weaving the ends in as I go, I make 20 or so squares and weave those ends in.  I'm hoping it will make the final making up process more enjoyable.  

It makes the actual square making a tiny tad slower but it's also nice to take a break from the nifty crochet of making them!

Each square is measuring 4" x 4" so to make it a nice BIG comfy size I'm thinking I'll need between 180/200 in total..
90 down...90 to go!

Sunshine Suitcase...

So...

What seems like a long time ago I made the

Suitcase of Wonders

A thing of beauty: a vintage suitcase covered in gorgeous Amy Butler fabric.

*sigh*

Alas and is so often the way I found my brood and I in need of pennies more than we needed a suitcase of wonder...and off to market it went.

It left a pretty suitcase hole in my crafty little life.

Don't get me wrong I have a few old suitcases but non that were as wondersome the the suitcase of wonder!

So one sunny afternoon this summer I found myself at home with an old case and a couple of cans canary yellow paint!

Well one thing led to another and before I had time to think it through I had a bright and chirpy yellow suitcase...

{ black blob is on the camera lense :( }

but still I wasn't happy.

I know hard to please right!?

What it needed was that little extra zing

and how else but Pip Studios papers.

{OK I could have used something else but all I had were Pip Studio samples}

And here it is in all its sunny glory, not a suitcase of wonder but a suitcase full of the sunshine it was created in!

 It makes my little heart sing and a sneaky smile peeks out whenever I catch a glimpse of it.

Hello my luvvy's...

Oh how my nieces blanket has been a labour of 

LOVE

My first and nearly almost my last granny sqaure blanket...all those ends to sew in!!

150 squares each with 4 colours...

But it has all been worth the effort

for the finished blanket is hopefully going to be well loved and much used by my niece L's.

It has been a project on the go for almost a year, despite several pokes I struggled to get the mojo to keep on after I put what I had together December 13 and realised it wasn't as big as I wanted it to be.

 

So more wool was ordered and when I found out that L's was off to UNI then it was the push I needed!!

So I finished it just in time for her to take with her on her BIG adventure to UNI.
Big enough to snuggle under on the sofa and just right to lay over a single size bed!

But what's that I hear you say?
*has she gone mad there's no photo?*
No you're tight I didn't get a photo of it finished!
I know, I know, I totally suck at before and after photos...
I wish I didn't but I do so lets not say too much more about it and move on...
please!

Onwards and upwards then
I have been busy.

Baskets have been sprayed, furniture painted, a cloth doll or two has been made and I have started another blanket!

Slowly I need to work my way through my requests list for blankets, with 6 kiddos it may take some time though.

The new blanket is for my #3 Lolly.
Colour choice is hers

 to tie in with the colours in her room
the Ercol chair

standard lamp/shade

 pretty shelf

Inspiration for the squares from an amazing new to me blog 
Color and Cream

This time I will learn to sew the ends in as I go!

I think it may just be my new blog crush...