Olive Manna Coloring Book

This is another reason why I love Twitter. Every single time I check in I find something to swoon over and yesterday was no different. Natalie Jost was tweeting about these new colouring books which she'd made available to pre order so I decided to investigate further ;)

I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised because this is not just any old colouring book but one for the grown-ups!  

Colouring is one of the few things you can do to really rest your mind and help you switch off from all the distractions that vie for our attention when we try to relax. If something is bothering you or there is so much going on around you that you find it hard to wind down I think activities like colouring can be really therapeutic, do you agree? 

Natalie has a beautiful online shop Olive Manna which stocks really lovely paper goods, fabrics, and craft/wrapping supplies which have a clean simple aesthetic to compliment the original pattern designs she uses in her work. In fact you might recognise some of the patterns featured in the Olive Manna Coloring Book from her fabric collections which are available on Spoonflower.

When I think about when I would actually use a colouring book for some reason I can picture myself on a sun lounger, pool side at Vilacampina with this drink in one hand and my pencils in another. This might not be quite what you were expecting to hear but to me that sounds like bliss. V.relaxing!

In fact if your summer hols entail a long haul flight this is probably perfect for you as there are only so many magazines you can lug on the plane. I'm sure there are hours of enjoyment to be had.

I'm interested to hear how you imagine yourself colouring? Does it appeal to the big kid in you too? Just make sure you stay in the lines ok! 

Pssst...order before 15th May and save $5, plus Natalie is including a free set of mini colouring pencils with pre orders while stocks last.

 image source: olive manna

Table Tonic Update - 20% off

Pssst... if you loved the ikat throw pillows and hand embroidered suzani bedspreads I blogged yesterday you will be please to know there is a mothers day sale now on at Table Tonic! Click here for all the info ;)

Ikat

Louise Bell's passion, ok, slight obsession, for anything Ikat is truely infectious. If you follow her decor blog you will know what I mean and if you dont you really should ;)

I cant get enough of the vibrant textiles and soft furnishings she has sourced for her Australian online boutique Table Tonic. These bold colours and organic patterns are so striking im drawn to them everytime I look through my inspiration file.

Louise has sourced striking, colourful textiles from as far afield as Afghanistan, India and Uzbekistan. Don't you think this exotic hand embroidered suzani bedspreads is something really special? I really wish I could see one up close because im sure the craftsmanship will be outstanding.

I'm sure I'm not alone in my love for Table Tonic let me know what you think....

image source: tabletonic

Creature Comforts DIY Gift Wrapping Kit

Did you see this fabulous gift idea Ez posted on Friday? 

I've been hunting out all sorts of things like this for my Lovely Package Exchange partner in the hope that the exchange is still going to happen so I almost felt this post was speaking just to me!

Rather than just packing up a load of crafy bits and bobs I love that Ez has stuck to a colour palette which ties everything together. Everything looks like it has a place in the box even though the items have been sourced from all over.

If I received something as lovely as this I would definitely think someone had put a lot of care and attenion into such a thoughtful gift.

If you were putting this together for a friend what would you add?

For links to all the free printables Ez used be sure to check out the original post! ;) 

On a side note... I can never decide whether to feature some of the projects that I love from the 'big' blogs because I think everyone's probably already seen them. These past few weeks however, I've come across some amazing 'new to me' blogs with thousands of followers. I figure not everyone's always in the loop so I hope that there will be someone reading this today that will be introduced to the wonderful world of Creature Comforts for the first time. Ez is definitely one of my all time favourite bloggers so go check her out! 

imagesource: creaturecomforts

What's Next...

I thought id let you know I’ve decided to loosen up a little on what I post at Make, Do & Send so you might find more than the usual crafty posts popping up around here.

I'm looking forward to posting about some of the things that I have a real love for like illustration, textiles, print and pattern so I’m interested to see how the blog evolves and most importantly whether you will all like the new content! 

As for this weekend I will be finishing the binding on the Chick-a-dee quilt Im working on for my good friend Mandy's babyshower. Can you believe this will be my fourth quilt this year!....

 

... I will also definitley be making some time to play around with these scrummy fabrics that arrived yesterday from Fabric Rehab.

What are your plans for the weekend? Is spring in full swing where you live. Right now im sitting at the dinning table blogging on my laptop with the most beautiful cherry tree in full blooming blossom right out side the window. Its such a shame blossom lasts for such a short time it really is sooo beautiful. Happy Weekend all!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Ta Da! Zig Zag Cars and Trees Quilt

Soooo its finally finished, what do you think?

I used a yard of Pale Blue fabric (although I didn't end up needing it all, I have about 13" left), 1 fat quarter in Lime and 1 fat quarter in Purple from Pelenna Patchworks. I love shopping at Pelenna for solids, they have such a great selection of colours! The 1/2 yard of Cars and Trees fabric came from Fabric Rehab and the white fabric was from a 100% cotton flat sheet I picked up at Ikea for peanuts.  

As I said before, I used this tutorial as a guide for the zig zag design and for the back I reused the applique pattern from my Make, Do and Mend quilt. 

To make the binding I cut out strips from the lime, purple and patterned fabrics and sewed them together alternating colours until I had enough to go round the whole quilt for a lovely colourful binding.

I was rather brave this time and decided to try and quilt in zig zags using my sewing machine with the standard foot and the stitch length set to the longest possible. It worked pretty well, although I wouldn't say the result was perfect but good for a first time machine quilter who didn't have all the correct equipment :)

I will be gifting the quilt to baby Joshua this afternoon so I will let you know how its received tonight! What are your plans for the weekend, I hope you have the gorgeous spring weather we're enjoying here in London today. How about crafting, any projects on the go? Id love to know what your up to so feel free to leave a comment below. Happy weekend all!

 

Zig Zag Cars and Trees Quilt

Here's the beginnings of a zig zag quilt for a very special little boy...

I thought it would be fun to post a little teaser but I'm afraid you will have to wait until next week for me to reveal all!

I've been using this tutorial from A Quilt Is Nice as a guide so if you're looking to start a quilty project over the Easter break click on over there now as its a lot simpler than it might appear once you know how.

I'm sure you could whip up a zig zag quilt of your own over the weekend so if you do feel inspired to have a go be sure to come back and let me know how you get on. Have a lovely Easter All! xx