"So," I hear you cry, "what have you been making then?"

Well ... calorie free cakes, for a start! I must be honest I'm cheating posting this picture actually because it's not really for this blog, it's for Twisted Sisters really. It and a load of others will be strategically placed in public places with a Twisted Sisters business card attatched, hopin to attract more lovely ladies to join our group. They're a bit of fun, aren't they?! (And £7 each in the posh haberdashers in Monmouth)

And I've been doing some work on "the prom dress" allthough you could be forgiven for thinking I was just about to declare war on a small country and this is my battle table. I thank the lord for my Nan's old oak drop leaf dining table.

And I've been doing some work on "the prom dress" although you could be forgiven for thinking I was just about to declare war on a small country and this is my battle table. I thank the lord for my Nan's old oak drop leaf dining table

So then of course we had Mother's Day. I had a lovely tea cup and saucer necklace from my Daughter, which was gorgeous, but the card she gave me was SO much better. I will scan it one day so you can see what she wrote, it was great!

...but I can't pretend to have thought up the idea for my "visitable" Mumatron/Step Mother/Grand Mother - it was actually "borrowed" from Helen's sister, and I believe she in turn "borrowed" it from Marks and Sparks, who were doing the same thing and charging £15 for.

I got some bean tins, soaked them, got the labels off as best I could - the glue was the problem, and as I've not had a lot of time I could have got it off better than I did. On the tins, I stick double layered vintage labels, and in the tins (three holes in the bottom for drainage) were two Peacock Lillies in each. Three tins were celophane wrapped (have you any idea how expensive that stuff is?!?) and tied with ribbon. The lillies will grow in the tins on a windowsill - no need to plant out; and recycled too!

My Mum in law gave me a mahoosive bag of fabric last year and I'd not used a lot of it, so I decided to use some of the pansy fabric I had as it's just SO pretty, so I made little tote bags (remarkably to an excellent standard and finish! Not like me at all!) to put them in, and I just finished it off with little print of the three of us in sepia and Victorian costume on the old fashioned baggage label - and I can honestly say, everyone loved them.

For my Mum in law, I made a shopping bag with her initials beaded on, out of the same fabric - I have to post hers up north, you see, and I couldn't guarantee the tins staying intact - or not costing me a fortune! She could see that her donations were very gratefully received, and she loves the bag. Once again, I didn't make myself one and I'm a bit gutted but I have got enough pansy fabric to make a "statement skirt" a la Emily Jayne Style Consultancy, so all is not lost, and with a bit of luck a wee bag to match that!

And last but not least - the mothers day cards. Dymo machine, pinking shears left over pansy fabric and some glue. Nuff said!

Oh and stay tuned for some VERY exciting news!