#NaBloPoMo November 4th: Hello Winter!

Winter, despite its unpredictable weather and turn of bad bugs tearing around the place, is my absolute favourite time of year.  As you can probably guess from my photos, I'm no sun-worshipper, for me, there is nothing better than cosying up on the sofa with a spicy chai latte, or taking trudging walks through the snow.  I have always loved Winter and, of course, Christmas, and this year I am really looking forward to the holiday season; as it's my first with Miss D AND for the first time in about ten years, I won't be at work for it!

So what does November hold for me at Life is Peachy towers this month...

You Used To Be My Gnomeo.... 
This month sees the final batch of my handmade knitted gnomes going out to their new homes, ready to see in the festive season, Swedish Yuletide style!  I have been so overwhelmed with the response to these little guys and I'm looking forward to making more in the future.  November will also see me start to finalise and make some more products ready to launch, finally, Peach and Daisy, my craft store.  Expect traditional gifts with a twist, a nod to the gothic, the macabre and the cute!  Watch this space for more information!

Frugally Fabulous Festivities
Having spent the last few months, scouting out some projects to make for Christmas presents, I'm planning to handmake many of my Christmas presents for

family and friend-folk this year - and I plan to share some of my successes on my Creative Fridays!  This month I am really hoping to get to grips with my sewing machine!  Wish me luck!

Music for the Soul
I don't know about you, but I go through phases with my music collection - catching up with old and forgotten CDs is something I love to do and if I'm not finding new and exciting music to listen to,

 image credit

you'll find me going Mad about Marilyn Manson, Loving Lana or Dotty for Duran Duran.  This month, I've really stripped back my listening pleasure and I've become pretty obsessed with 'The King' himself, the gorgeous Mr Elvis Presley.  There is something so soothing about his slower numbers - there is nothing quite like the beauty of 'Love Me Tender' played against the sounds of battering wind and rain against your window!  Elvis, this month, you are Always On My Mind!

Winter Wardrobe
As usual, I'm dazzled by gorgeous winter jewel colours (which sit so well with my penchant for black) and I have some great staple pieces that come out each and every year.  I'm looking forward to sharing these with you in an upcoming post

, as I prepare to NOT spend any money for The Frugally Fabulous Year!

Aside from taking part in the #NaBloPoMo challenge, I want to slow down a little and see out the end of the year with Little D.  Christmas is always such a special time for our family and, this year, I plan to really enjoy every moment of it!

A Handlebar Boyfriend...
For the first time, my OH has decided to enter the world of Movember!  I'm quite excited about this - partly because I've always said facial hair would suit him AND it's all for a great cause!  Why not check out his progress HERE I shall be donating to change the face of men's health this month, will you?

This Month You Might Well Find Me...
Curled up with a chai latte, hopefully dipping into 'The Ghost Hunters', a fantastic debut novel from Neil Spring, which centres around the legendary paranormal investigator Harry Price and his investigation of the infamous Borley Rectory.

I have some amazing reviews coming up on the blog - I can't wait to get stuck in to my copy of The Sewing Manual by the amazing Laura Strutt (who blogs over at Made Peachy) and tell you all about it.  PLUS I shall be divulging a few beauty posts over the coming weeks too, as I get to grips with some environmentally friendly cosmetics!

You Definitely Won't Find Me...
Complaining about the weather OR watching X Factor!! Sorry!

What are you most looking forward to about November?

#CraftBlogClub: Learning A New Craft

I should definitely start by apologising for how late this post is going out - multi-tasking is actually a forte of mine, being that I held last night's #CraftBlogClub in the midst of packing up a car in a power cut - but I had to deal with the unpredictability of putting the babe to bed in an unfamiliar surrounding last night and, safe to say, it did not go too well!

As usual, #CraftBlogClub was full of interesting conversations and some sneak peeks of WIPs for this month's project!  I decided we should discuss learning new craft methods as, after all, the aim is to try something shiny and new for October and create a Halloween themed decoration from it!  Learning a new craft can be quite the challenge...here's what the #CraftBlogClub massive thought!

1. Worship At The Altar of YouTube - Most of us confessed that, when it came to the mots efficient method of learning a new craft, YouTube always came out on top.  It seems we are a very visually-stimulated crafty bunch who like nothing more than trawling through the thousands of useful tutorials, to get us started on new projects and methods.  The power of learning through video, in my opinion, is the ability to film some of the intricate and complicated stages that picture books and written paragraphs couldn't explain so easily - plus the pause button always helps!
2. Don't Underestimate The Power of Tradition - Having said that, many of us seemed to agree that you can't beat a bit of tradition, when you're searching for new craft methods to learn - a lot of us looked to old craft books for both inspiration and tutorials.  A few of us also seemed to hoard the most AMAZING amount of craft books - @BeekneeHoonies I'm talking about you and your wonderful stash!  I'm a huge fan of craft books and, even if I don't tend to follow patterns directly, they can be a great source of inspiration for upcoming projects.  Not to mention some of the older books are great at giving clearly written and simply put tutorials.
3. If In Doubt...Ask - Part of the reason behind forming the #CraftBlogClub network, for me, was to form a group of individuals who could help, encourage and support each other, in a crafting sense.  It's great to be able to ask someone for help or clarity if you can. 
4. Learn Traditionally...Blog Unique - We raised the really interesting point of creating unique items from the methods you have taught yourself, but never be afraid to show something new or even try an amalgamation of techniques to keep things fresh on your craft blog - thinking outside the box can really set you apart from everyone else!
5. Self-Teaching RULES - As much as it can be great to go and join a class to learn something new, not to mention great to meet new and exciting, like-minded crafty types; expense can often mean we look to the discipline of self-teaching to help us learn and develop our skills.  Why not utilise the plethora of free videos and wondrous internet crafty caverns to teach yourself something new?

Just a short one this week...I'm keen to get this published and am running on my parents' gerbil-powered internet! Next week, we shall have a second Crafty DIY SOS - a chance to run through any issues we might be having with our projects before THE BIG REVEAL of our October challenge the week after!

Until next week...

Stay Crafty!

E x

#CraftBlogClub: The Big 'Notebook Challenge'

Well, Tuesday is here, which can mean only one thing...it's time to unveil our #CraftBlogClub Challenge notebooks!

What I really enjoyed about this challenge, was the amount of variation I've seen, so far, in the results; I think it's fantastic that everyone has ventured out and tried new things! Please please please link your notebook posts up below - I think this challenge is something we should all be really proud of - fantastic work and a huge thank you to everyone who took part!  If you have time too, have a stop by a few blogs and show them a bit of #CraftBlogClub love for their wonderful efforts in the challenge!

The Overlord's Challenge Unveil...
So, for my notebook challenge, I decided to try a bit more applique, as I enjoyed doing my anniversary picture so much.  I wanted to spend as little as possible and work with fabrics and scraps that I had lying around.  Here is the result...

I bought a plain page, hardcover notebook from Wilkos for £3 and started by measuring out some navy and white striped fabric (I'm Breton-mad), and some fusible fleecing to add extra cushioning to my cover.

I ironed the fleecing and fabric to fuse together.  To make my applique poppy,

I freehand cut a green felt stalk and red poppy shape and, in keeping with a 'shabby' theme, I stitched the felt to the striped fabric using black thread.  I love how the black contrast creates a sweet outline of the poppy.

I found an old black button, with gold edging, in my extensive collection of long-lost buttons, so decided to sew this on as the poppy's middle.  The result was simple but effective - I toyed with the idea of doing several poppies, but I decided that one looked much nicer, for this project.

To attach the fabric to the notebook, I simply folded the edges in and attached using strong bonding glue.  As the fabric edges weren't tidy, I covered with a peach-coloured piece of paper for a clean finish.

I was really pleased with my notebook - I've had so many ideas for more applique and notebook-covering projects.  I think this has been a great challenge, to prettify and personalise something as plain as a notebook!  I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have - and I can't wait to launch October's challenge!

October Challenge
Well, without further ago, I shall unveil our challenge for October!!  It didn't take too long to decide that I wanted to launch something with a Halloween theme!  And with the success of last month's notebook covering, I thought something quite malleable will work for us all!  So here it is..

This October - the #CraftBlogClub Challenge is to create a Halloween decoration, using a crafting form YOU HAVE NOT TRIED BEFORE!

Get your thinking caps on - this is a great opportunity to try a new craft, if you have any questions or need any help - give us a shout on Twitter!  The same rules apply - I will put up a linky for us all to post our results!  The deadline is Tuesday 29th October for this challenge!  

Stay Crafty and get linking up now....

E x 


play along with us

#CraftBlogClub - What Makes a Good Craft Tutorial?

Well, here's to another storming #CraftBlogClub session this evening!  I had another great evening hosting this wonderful Twitter chat, even though I had to balance baby's bedtime duty, with retweets and interesting conversations!  I aim to reply to everyone's messages as soon as possible - please bear with me!

So for this week's #CraftBlogClub, I chose a topic that I felt would really help newbie and experienced bloggers alike; What Makes a Good Craft Tutorial?  As usual, we had some fantastic feedback and opinions from twitter chat regulars and new additions to our crafty hub.  It was lovely to see some new tweeters amongst you tonight - I think #CraftBlogClub is taking Twitterland by storm and I've got lots of exciting future plans for it!

So here are a few pointers for creating a good crafty tutorial;
1. PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS - the overwhelming 'must-have' for a good tutorial, is a great set of clear photographs, to accompany the text.  Clarity and good shots are for capturing works in progress and allowing the reader to follow easily.
2. Aim to explain - but don't patronise - the last thing anybody wants to feel, is as if they are back at school.  A blog, in general, needs to have a friendly and approachable tone and a tutorial is no different.  Encourage your readers through your words, don't make them feel small or lack in confidence.
3. Assuming a level of ability - this is a really sticky subject, we all want to inspire and, as someone who loves a challenge, I love really pushing myself with projects.  On the other hand, as craft bloggers, we don't want to alienate our readers with difficult projects.  The key is to find a balance of abilities in your tutorials and, hopefully, inspire your readers to try their hand at harder projects as and when.  I feel this really ties in with the tone of your tutorial - and I've managed to coin the phrase; 'if you've got the know-how, get the show-how'!!
4. Choose Readily Available Materials - to be honest, I wouldn't be likely to partake in a project that specified the need for 'yarn, freshly drawn from mountain-side alpacas in Springtime'.  In this modern age, we are lucky to have the likes of eBay at our fingertips; but ensuring that your materials and fabrics are relatively easy to get hold of, will encourage more readers to give your tutorial a try!
5. Be fresh and innovative with your ideas - I don't think there is anything wrong with classic projects, they can be great when trawling through the internet for new ideas.  But to keep your readers interested, your tutorials need to be fresh and fun!  Don't be afraid to stand out!
6. Try a video tutorial - I watch a shameless amount of YouTube videos - from tutorials to music videos and leftfield interviews.  Video and vlogging are great ways to bring a three-dimensional perspective to you and your blog.  If you are brave enough to step in front of the camera, it's a great way to bring your character and personality to life and connect with readers who might want something more visual to work with.
7. Learn from your mistakes (and include them) - as with last week, lots of people agreed that a level of showing project mistakes was great for tutorials.  Not only can you showcase how you tackled and resolved the problem creatively, you are touching upon that human side of the blogger that so many readers like to see.  Be careful though, don't give too much away, you are a pro at what you do!

There were some really interesting tweets tonight and I could go on - but I think these points cover most of tonight's conversation and I hope it's left you all feeling inspired about your next tutorial project!

Got it Covered???
Don't forget.....We have an end of the month deadline for September's #CraftBlogClub challenge.  Last week's post about this is HERE.  This month's challenge is to cover a notebook!  I've had some great ideas from people already and I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THE RESULTS!

Also guys, there were quite a few tweets about challenge ideas this evening - if you have ideas, please drop them in an email to me at missemmaberry@gmail.com - I'm always popping down plans for #CraftBlogClub and I do suffer from a horrible mixture of Sieve/Baby Brain - so I would LOVE to hear from you!

Until next week - STAY CRAFTY!

E x

Hodge Podge: Dinosaurs, Astronauts and Glow-in-the-Dark Goop: the 10 best baby sensory experiences!

So, Daisy turns 20 weeks this coming Thursday and I've noticed a steady increase in her demand to be constantly stimulated with new sights, sounds and textures.  I'm not one to break the bank with toys and gadgets and I am constantly looking for ways to entertain and educate her as she grows and becomes more interested in the world around her.

I am really excited to introduce Gude from Hodge Podge, who has written a guest post about the best sensory experiences for babies.  Her blog, as she will tell you, is dedicated to ideas for crafting with children and is a real inspiration - I can't wait to see what ideas she has for my little one!  So, for today, I will leave you in her capable hands as she counts down her top ten.

Hi, I’m Gude from Hodge Podge, where I blog about crafting with, and for children.  I am so excited to be guest-posting here at Life is Peachy!Emma, a thousand thank yous for having me!  In keeping with Emma’s philosophy of positive mother/parenthood and creative inspiration, I hope this post will encourage you to try some fun, simple, low-cost sensory experiences with your baby.

Do come and visit me at Hodge Podge or follow me on Twitter for more ideas HERE! 

Babies are adventurous little explorers and love to put anything and everything into their mouths – it’s their way of discovering and learning about the world around them.  Food is therefore a common first sensory experience.  My boys (AKA Pickle, 2 and Chops, 1) have fed themselves ‘real’ food since they moved on from milk and while Baby-Led Weaning is not for everyone (and makes a HECK of a lot of mess), it is utterly fascinating (and hilarious!) to watch babies discovering flavours like yoghurt, cherries, pasta bolognese and chicken and avocado for the first time…

Another sensory experience, which is fantastic for even very young babies, is massage.  Anna at Little Lotus explains that baby massage can help ‘lower stress levels in the body and help unsettled babies relax… increase body awareness and stimulate the nervous system’.  It’s also a really lovely way to bond with your baby.

So, if you’re keen to set up a more creative or unusual sensory experience for your baby, why not try one of the following ideas? 

1. Raspberry spaghetti from the Imagination Tree yum!

2. Space sensory tub from Totally Tots - Pickle would LOVE this!

3. Ice-play & painting at The Good Long Road - great for hot Summer days!

and a Giant dinosaur ice cube (wow, just wow!) from Crumb Bums 

4. Sensory bags (no mess!) from Growing a Jewelled Rose- the doyenne of sensory experience!

5. Wet newspaper from Hands On As We Grow – so quick, simple and easy!

6. Coloured & scented rice (tutorial) from Play Create Explore Chops would try to scoff this stuff, no doubt…

7. Beach in a box from Mama Pea Pod – I would love one of these myself in the garden!

8. Goop and Glowing Bubbles – another genius and original idea from Growing a Jewelled Rose.

9. Dinosaur sensory bin from Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes.  Older kids would enjoy this one too, right?

10. Flower sensory bottle (no mess!) from My Little 3 And Me how pretty is this?!

NOTE: Please don’t ever leave your baby unsupervised during this kind of activity, especially those involving water. 

Finally - be prepared that they may not enjoy the experience.  If they are frightened, or uncomfortable in any way, simply stop and try again when they are a little older. Pickle HATED sand until he was about 1, but he can’t get enough of the stuff now!