Making Meal Times Fun

If you've been keeping an eye on me through my Facebook page, on Twitter or through Instagram you might have spotted a new line of crochet goodies!

These pieces have grown from a rather soft spot in my heart, put there by my ever growing and learning son and the love that my other half and I have for food and all the amazing discoveries and adventures that you can have with it.

Something we both discussed, even before our little one was born, was the increased desire to introduce our children into the world of food with excitement and curiosity!

Not just to indulge in foodie wonders but to build a healthy knowledge of food, where it comes from and how it's made. 

And the memories!

Who doesn't have a fond memory of ice cream or a treasured recollection of butter on toast round their grandparents, or that sneaky toffee treat? And my word, roast dinners!

 It all adds up a wonderful way to live life, loving food.

As our little one grew and the time to introduce food came, we found that food alone doesn't always spark the interest of their ever busy minds. 

And whilst hearing of other parents difficulties, trying to convince their little one that biscuits aren't the only food in the world, I found myself developing and working on pieces to try to make eating and meal times much more fun and exciting to be a part of.

These pieces that I've brought together make sitting down at the dinner table for a delicious meal so much more exciting!

Teddy Bear Placemats and Teddy Bear Coasters, crocheted from 100% cotton, and completely washable!

They get to choose their own colour or even a few different colours to make things a bit more fun. It can be their own little job to lay the table with fun teddy bear mats and even take it as a routine queue that teddy bear tableware means food time!

My own boy has a blue bear (as pictured above) and calls out "Teddy Bear!" if I've forgotten to get his placemat out for lunch. In fact, I need to make him a new one to alternate as they go through the wash, it's becoming a solid part of his routine which not only helps with meal times, but is starting to fill me with the most amazing feeling of having designed and made something that's really helping my son.

I hope these help other little ones to get excited about wonderful, new eating experiences and if nothing else, to make the dining table a more fun place to sit and enjoy time with the family!

Folksy Shop

Etsy Shop

#MakeMealTimesFun

x

Helping With The Post

How do the orders you place with Rebecca's Emporium and Pancakes & Milk get to you? 

When you buy online, it's easy to forget the journey your parcel goes on when it travels from the home it was made in all the way to your own home.

When you buy from us, your order goes on a very special journey...

with my son.

He's 2 whole years old now and every step outside of the house is an adventure. 

When he was very little, your order would come with us as he nestled into me, wrapped in a sling with the cutest bobble hat on.

When he was toddling, your order would be safely packed into a bag and hooked onto his buggy, sometimes he would ask to walk alongside and help me to push the buggy himself.

He says hi to the lovely people at the post office and gives a wonderful smile when they tell him how adorable he is.

Now he is 2, and for the first time he asked to walk all the way to the post office without the buggy.

He loved it, and loved helping me to post your orders.

So as well as helping me to show my lovely son how wonderful handmade things are and to teach him techniques that are so important to keep alive, you are helping me to take him on adventures, introduce him to lovely people and excite him about post and connecting with people.

Thank you!

x

Things to remember when you're poorly

It's winter and everyone's poorly right?

Or if you're not you soon will be, it's just a Winter fact, a right of passage into the colder months and shorter days.

So how do we beat this thing?

I've got 5 handy tips to see you through this annual affliction:

1. Take a day off. 

I know, I know, you're needed and there are deadlines and all hell will break loose if you don't go to work today... but will it? Really? Surely the people who rely on you would rather be without you for a day and then have you working at full power for the next rather than have a half functioning you for a week? 

Plus, they probably don't want your cold either! Do your body a favour and let it rest for a day. It'll make a world of difference.

2. Listen to what your body needs.

OK, not literally listen, but you know what I mean. If you need sleep, then sleep. If you need to drink lots of warm drinks, do so (hot lemon water and honey is bliss for sore throats!)

3. Listen to all that advice.

You know when your mum used to nag at you for not wearing your gloves and hat and your gran would insist on wrapping you in a blanket as tightly as humanly possible? Well maybe they actually knew what they were on about. Follow your basics - stay warm, drink lots of fluids, keep tabs on your temperature, take your horrible, horrible medicine. Dry toast, chicken soup and find a loved one to cuddle you better :)

4. Get some air.

When you're starting to feel a bit better, wrap yourself up in lots of woolly warms and get out for a bit. Sometimes staying at home, snuggled under your duvet for too long can start to make you feel more lethargic than you actually are. A short walk will freshen you up and get you going again, just make sure you stay warm and dry!

Stay warm!

5. Treat yourself

It's amazing how much of a boost giving yourself a little treat can do. Whether it's booking a holiday for in the new year or just treating yourself to a posh coffee, a happy smile and contented feeling goes a long way.

Mmmm, posh coffee treat

They're my handy little tips to see you through the blasted common cold - which I've had about 3 of already this Autumn/Winter! I've absolutely no medical training what so ever, so of course if you don't have a cold, or if your symptoms are questionable, definitely go and see a doctor!! That's why they're there and they're lovely people who know how much it sucks to be ill. 

Stay healthy, stay warm and cosy and enjoy those beautiful, golden leaves out there!

x

Falling for Autumn

Today is Post day.

So me and my little side kick bundled ourselves up and went on an adventure to post Mummy's parcels.

And my, Autumn is in full swing!

We've only been house bound for about a week, but it seems that we've already missed so much!

Kicking leaves and jumping in puddles is by far the best way to travel!

What do you love about Autumn?

I think I may be in love with the entire season!

Crunchy leaves

Cool mornings

Time to bring out the woolly warmers, hats scarves and gloves

The seasonal veggies are by far my favourites!

Apple crumble - my god apple crumble!

Berries

All the animals out and about, busy collecting food 

All of those beautiful colours decorating the earth

Toadstools

Dew

Hot chocolate

And it could just be me, but everyone just seems so much nicer in the Autumn.

It'll be a shame when Winter gets here and it all goes away, but hey, then we'll build snowmen!

- hopefully.

What do you love about Autumn?

x

Pure Wool Love

Unfortunately the bug is still in the house and now we're all poorly!

*cue sarcastic woop!*

Fingers crossed the bucketfuls of hot lemon and vapour rub will see us right

I don't know if it's just me, but I refuse to work on anything for my customers whilst I'm ill. I don't know, it just doesn't feel right, especially if it's a wonderful snuggly blanket for a little one!

So, work aside, I've decided to treat myself to a few crochet goodies myself!

Today's project, a lovely crocheted bowl made from a gorgeous pure wool from The Lost Gardens of Heligan 

Since I started my love of wool through felting, it's always been very important to me to make sure that the wool I use is actually wool and not a plastic hybrid.
I love wool! 

It's beautiful, practical, wonderful to work with and in all honesty pure magic!

Read a few points here to get an idea of its total awesomeness:

http://www.campaignforwool.org/about-wool/ 

I thought I'd treat my house to a pure wool bowl (it's found a home in my bathroom, keeping all of my hair bobbles in one tidy place at the moment).

It's a very simple crochet pattern, but I'll write it down in case you want to have a go:

(UK crochet pattern)

Using a crochet hook sized 4.50mm

and Heligan Garden Twine, 100% pure wool

~ Ch 4 and sl st

(working in continuous rounds)

~ htr 12 sts into the centre circle

~ 2htr into every st

~2htr in the 1st st and 1 htr in the next st - repeat to the end of the round

~ 2htr in the next st and 1 htr in the next 2 st - repeat to the end of the round

~ 2htr in the next st and 1 htr in the next 3 st - repeat to the end of the round

~ dc into the front loop of each st to the end of the round

(changing to a size 4mm hook)

~ dc in every st to the end of the round

~ repeat the previous step for another 8 rounds ( or to your desired height)

~ change the colour of your yarn for the finishing st (I chose a scrap piece of blue yarn from my stash. You don't need much)

~ sl st to the end of the round

~ fasten off

I love how the twine gives the bowl more rigidity than what a softer wool would.
I've made bowls from normal, household string before too, and that's worked out quite well.
Perhaps even replace the blue edging for red and make an adorable Xmasy bowl and fill it with treats for a present with a personal touch!


Fall in love with wool!

x

A Bit of Cake Solves All

Today I am a poorly soul.

 I hate being ill at the best of times but I swear it's worse when there's a whirlwind of a toddler flying around that you need to keep safe!

Naturally today we've been standing on chairs, throwing food all over the place and demanding in the cutest, 'how could I say no' way that mummy reads his books, when mummy has absolutely no voice to read them with. 
So I'm afraid there will be no crocheting or felting today. There will only be cake and warm lemon drinks.

I do have a couple of projects on the go though. 2 Xmas blankets, one felted sculpture and I'm currently turning my sister's wedding bunting that I made into a lovely crochet blanket for her and her hubby to snuggle under now that the weather's turning. 
It might be a fair trade for the scrummy chocolate brownie that she delivered this morning. Yum! 

These projects will have to wait a day or two though. I have absolutely no body power to create loveliness 

- plus I really don't want to be sneezing all over my sister's wedding bunting/blanket!!

x

Coming Back

It's been long overdue, but I feel the urge to submerse myself back into my writing.

For all of you who read blogs, write blogs or just plain live for the written word, I think you'll understand that it feels like there's a certain call to it. I used to surround myself. I'd write diaries, read non-stop, scribble little stories and poems whenever there was a spare second going. 
Hopefully I'll be able to find those spare seconds again!

Nearly two whole years ago, all that I thought was important and normal found itself eclipsed by a single, tiny, wonderful human.
Yep, I earned the title "Mum".
Every second belonged to him.
But now... don't tell... I'm trying to sneak a few back!

I don't think he's noticed yet. He seems more interested in the thousands of cars he seems to have accumulated and determinedly trying to figure out how the plug sockets work. (help!) 

Not to say he isn't my entire world, but I think a few precious moments to yourself are vital for sanity's sake. Right? 

Anyway, the egg timer calls.
I'll try and catch some more seconds tomorrow and tell you some more about my crochet work and what's happening with my little felted creatures.

Pop back soon!

x