The Making Granny

Another of my Granddaughters saw some tiny log slice earrings in a shop in Finland and thought it would be an excellent thing for Granny to make for her! I like a challenge and so I set about the task. First I had to find a suitable stick... Then I used the band saw to make 4 slices and carefully sanded each side. Next I drilled a small hole into the top of each one... I burned Christmas trees on each side of one pair and small downhill skiers on the other pair, as my granddaughter is an avid skier, adding a little sparkle to the Christmas trees using sparkly gel pens. A coat of varnish finished them off before adding the silver plated earring hooks purchased previously. I shall definitely be making some more with different themes in the future. As always, if you have any questions please post a comment and I will do my best to answer them.

Yesterday I was asked to make a little gift for one of my Granddaughter’s friends who was coming for a sleepover. I found this easy knitting pattern for the bunny which took no time at all to make up. I embroidered the eyes and nose on before I sewed it together. The knitting pattern can be found here:  https://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/free_knitting_patterns/tiny_knitted_toys/ I also found a knitting pattern for the little dresses and learned 2 new knitting stitches in the process - always good to learn something new. The dress pattern can be found here: https://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/free_knitting_patterns Next you just need a suitable box which is big enough for bunny to sleep in and store her dresses. Any scraps of material can be used to make the matching mattress, pillow and duvet, adding a bit of lace as a finishing touch! As always, if you have any questions please post a comment and I will do my best to answer them.

Today I felt like messing about with wood and came across this idea for the bookworm in your family, in our case that’s our son in law! It fits on your thumb and allows you to read a thick paperback with just one hand - useful if you’re commuting or just fancy a cup of tea! So to start find a piece of scrap wood, I used oak but any wood will do and drill out 2 holes big enough to get your thumb through ( I also checked that it fitted my husband too!). Next cut across the centre and draw the rough shape out using the newly created hole as centre point. Then begin cutting out the shape. All that remains to be done now is the sanding off to make them smooth, especially where the thumb sits in the hole. Then a coat of oil or varnish for a nice finish. You can easily add some detail to make them more personal.  As always, if you have any questions please post a comment and I will do my best to answer them.

As the sun was actually shining, I decided on some miniature gardening today! I like to take a small gift when we visit friends and they have come to expect the unusual! This time I thought I would make miniature planters. My mum has already walked off with this one. You can use any small shallow dishes, I used a sundae dish and a dish I bought from a charity shop for 50p. Just fill it with compost and plant some tiny plants. I use plants with shallow roots as in the pictures. They are really easy to propagate so I always have a ready supply in the greenhouse, although you can just as easily grow them on a windowsill. I bought the original plants from a car boot sale several years ago and have been propagating them ever since!  When your masterpiece is complete scatter tiny gravel across the surface of the soil for a finishing touch. I bought a small bag from my local garden centre, which has lasted forever. Any pieces lodged in the plants can be flicked out with a cockt...

It was really nice to try something different this week. I used an old, out of date travel book as I love reading and would hate to use anything that could be useful to someone else. It was just a matter of folding the pages and adding buttons for his eyes and nose and some black card for his feet. If you fancy making one, the details can be found here:   http://make-origami.com/hedgehog/

I thought for my first post I would share something that was really fun to make, The Fairy House Tea Cosy. I crocheted this recently for my sister and followed a pattern which I found on Pinterest. It was translated from Russian! I changed some of the decoration, adding a tiny mouse onto the roof at the back. It was a great way to use up all those odds and ends of wool. The link to the pattern is at the bottom of the page. The link to the pattern is here:  https://imgur.com/gallery/6dhvS Happy Making! If you do make one please share a photo as I would love to see it.