The Dizzy Izzy Blog has a new home

Now blogging at thedizzyizzyblog.com ... pop over and join the fun :)

Signing off (for now)

Hey ho ... I have so little free time at the moment, and whatever I do have is taken up with selling my wares on that there internet and elsewhere. So for the time being I'm signing off from this blog.

I will continue to blog, when I get the chance, over here >> www.dizzyizzyhandmade.co.uk 

And hopefully I'll get back here at some point in the future!

A new addition, and a little bit of sewing fun

It had been an awfully long time since I blogged!!

I always seem to be saying I've been too busy to blog ... I just wish there were a few more hours in the day!

We have a new addition to our family ...

This is Oscar, our new and unexpected Springer Spaniel!  He came to us from a friend who could no longer keep him.  On the Monday we had no intention of getting another dog, by the Wednesday we had another dog!

There has been some teething problems ... I had a couple of nights sleeping on the sofa with Oscar on the floor next to me to prevent him howling.  Dougal, the existing doggy, was a big bully to begin with. He ate Oscar's bed, and he ate Oscar's collar ...

... these were the remains.  We have no idea how he got it off him!

Here's Doug, having a breather from his Spaniel Bashing!

Fortunately, nearly 3 weeks in, they now seem to be getting on.  Oscar has even started ignoring his own (new) bed, and is snuggling in with Dougal in his.  Not sure the house will ever be calm again ... but we at least seem to have two happy doggies.

In the midst of all the chaos there has been some sewing going on.  I've had a commission for a pair of curtains, matching cushions and a draft excluder from a work colleague, which are almost done.  I've also been sewing horses to a duvet cover, and making rosettes and bunting for my neice, who is having her bedroom redecorated in a horsey theme.

These are the rosettes, they have pins on the back and will be attached to the top of the curtains.

The final thing which has been keeping me busy is my new Ebay shop ... I started just listing a few things on there which I have in my other supplies shops, and it has suddenly begun to take off.  So I've been spending most evenings packing orders, and every lunch break queuing at the post office!

It's here if you'd like to take a look ... http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Dizzy-Izzy-Craft-Supplies

Stumbling Around

I've recently been stumbling around StumbleUpon.

If you haven't seen this site before, and you've got a few minutes to spare, it's a great way to browse the internet.  Tell it what you are interested in and click on stumble.  The more sites you tell it you 'like' the more it will come up with to suit your interests.  It's really very clever!

 .... if you're not careful though, you may find that a few hours have vanished without you noticing!

I'm here >> http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/dizzyizzyhndmde/ if you'd like to see what I've been stumbling across.

First Day At School

Little Mac is off out in to the big wide world today ... It's her first day at school!

Things to do on a rainy bank holiday weekend

Make some pom poms

Do some sewing

Cutting & Sticking

Open a wendy-house based pet grooming parlour

Sewing Machine Failure!!

Oh dear ... my sewing machine broke at the weekend.  It wasn't the best sewing machine in the first place, and has seen plenty of use.  On Saturday morning it stopped sewing and started eating fabric instead.

So me, being me, took it apart.  Not just a bit apart, but completely apart. Poked around inside it, blew every last bit of fluff out of it, and oiled the bits the manual said might need some oil. Then (with a bit of help from a mechanically minded Mr Mac) got it all back together again. And .... it made no difference whatsover. 

As I have a slight sewing machine dependency problem, and couldn't possibly be without one, I had to go and buy another ....

It is a Brother XL 3600, and it is fantastic.  Quiet, smooth and really light (compared to the old one!), and very easy to use ... it's made me realise just how rubbish my old one was.

And look what I've made with it ...