Wool Hello! (say it, it sounds funny...!)

In between the madness that is the puppy (he is very very well-behaved and sleeps about two thirds of the time, but when he's awake he likes to chew wellies, newspaper, my hair and of course he needs plenty of cuddles!), I spotted this post by Deanne of Quirky Boots appealing for donations of wool for her premature baby appeal. I wanted to share it as it's such a great project :)


Deanne is going to make premature baby hats in various colours for the babies to wear in hospital and to be given as a little present to the parents when they are able to take their babies home. She doesn't want any money, but she'd like your donations of wool - preferably organic wool as it's so soft to the touch.


She's hoping to get enough donations so that all through March she can get crocheting the hats, and if she has lots of donations then she'll continue into April and donate to another local hospital as well.

Besides the above (which I've mostly pinched from her post!), she says:
'Please share this with friends far and wide, the more wool, the more hats, the more hospitals, the more babies that have a special little gift.'

Please email her at quirkyboots@hotmail.com if you would like to donate a ball of wool - mine's in the post! Thank you :)

A Terrible Blogger...But A Good Excuse!

Good afternoon! Golly, ten days since my last post, what a horror! I have a very good reason, however...and hopefully some photos of him will make up for it!







We've been puppy-planning! Woof woof! We picked him up on Saturday :-) he's called Oscar and he's seventeen weeks old and he just might be the most relaxed puppy in the world...he sleeps all the time (a chap after my own heart!), he loves being stroked and he wasn't the slightest bit bothered on his first nights alone!

He's lovely! Once my obsessive behaviour has lessened, normal service will resume ;-) but if you want to join in with the pet-crazy - please share your pets!

Another Lovey-Dovey Folksy Friday!

There were too many things to choose from last week...so here's instalment two of Heart Shaped Folksy Friday!










Have you got any Valentine's plans, or are you going to shun it all and watch anti-Valentine's films?

This Week, I Have Been Mostly Making...

...pretty parcels, wrapped up with string!

Tuneful Tuesday...

...a Rocky Horror Show Glee?? Oh yes, please!



...of course I couldn't let you forget my Halloween tribute!


lolz

Meat Free Monday - Flatbread Pizza

Today's Meat Free Monday was simple but delicious...and good for you (well, me, and hopefully you!)!

Flatbread Pizzas


Ingredients - anything you fancy on your pizza! I had...
- onion
- sweetcorn
- jarred peppers
- courgette
- mushroom
- basil
- tomato sauce
- grated cheese

Along with...
- flatbreads
- salad leaves
- spinach
- seed mix for salad sprinkling (idea courtesy of Laura at Keeping Slim and Getting Stylish!)

1. Chop all your pizza toppings, sauce up your flatbreads and add toppings.
2. Cook on gas mark 5 for 20 minutes.
3. Mix up your salad leaves and spinach.
4. Add salad to plate and sprinkle with seeds. Serve pizza!


Yum!

Sound of Sunday - James Blake

I can't stop listening to this! Pretty sure Oliver wants to tear his ears off by now...but I'll probably play it again nevertheless ;-)





Ooh, this also reminds me that I bought Paris, Je T'Aime with a Christmas HMV voucher and haven't watched it yet! That may make a bleak Monday worth looking forward to!

What's your Sound this Sunday? Have you been up to much over the weekend?

A Very Romantic Folksy Friday (aww!)

Folksy has been inundated with pretty romantic bits and bobs...so many, in fact, that this may be a Folksy Friday 1 of 2!











Are you celebrating all things lovey-dovey, or having a very anti-Valentine's February?

Oh, People Tree, How I Love Thee...

Just a quick little post declaring my love for People Tree! I know I don't often grace Wrapped Up With String with outfit posts, because that's not really what I blog about (there are plenty of far-more immaculately dressed bloggers out there that I'd much rather look at!), but this People Tree frock ticks all my ethical and environmental boxes, and I love it, so I had to share!

It makes me feel very Mad Men, and if I had matching skyscraper heels and the patience to craft a beehive, I would have gone full-on Joan Holloway, but this was for tea and drinks with Oliver's parents, so it might not have been the most appropriate! It's 100% cotton with just the right amount of stretch, perfectly-sized, and I heart heart heart the neck detail...


I might let down the hem just a tiny bit in the future, just because I'm not that fond of my knees and it would finish off the Mad Men effect! Otherwise, it's perfect - it even has comfortably-sized arms for those with *ahem* swimmers' arms like myself...!



And just look at the box it came in! It was also delivered really quickly and packaged in handmade paper - tick, tick, tick!

Dress: People Tree / Belt: Swished / Hair Clip: Crown & Glory / Tights: Pretty Polly / Shoes: Dunnes / Bracelet and Earrings: Gift / Spectacles: Specsavers!

Cath Kidston, Mini Sew! Review

Good evening! I have a little crafty preview for you tonight - the new project book Mini Sew by Cath Kidston, published by Quadrille (£9, paperback).



It comes in a pretty little folder complete with templates and patterns for all the projects in the book, and a sweet vintage-style pin case that my mum especially enjoyed!



I tried out one of the projects so I could practise following the instructions and do it justice when reviewing, and I attempted this pretty iPod case for my friend Amy's going away present...it didn't turn out exactly like the pattern, but I was definitely proud of the finished article!



Pros
- it's beautifully presented, with pretty photos and lots of inspiring projects to try - even if you don't fancy a shower cap, everyone needs an oven mitt!
- it's a good, handy size for keeping around whilst you're working - I have project books that are so big and cumbersome that I practically need a spare table to keep them on, but this is neither
- it starts off with the basics and runs through them in a nice, simple but not patronising way
- the little folder is handy for carrying around extra traced patterns and a pencil (and the notes I made for this review!)
- it's great value for money, coming with all the patterns, templates and the little needle case
- it encourages the use of leftover and vintage fabrics
- the extras are both pretty and handy
- there are 41 projects to try! That's a lot for a little book! They include cushions, blankets, a hot water bottle cover, homewares, bags, pinnies, decorations...and plenty plenty more.
- each pattern has a little tip for altering it to just how you fancy it




Cons
- some of the projects are much more complicated than they need to be - I scrapped the extra bias-binding around the top and drawstring ends of the iPod case because they were so fiddly (this may simply be a case of Cath Kidston having a lot more patience than me...probably!)
- the instructions would benefit from a few more sketches / ongoing photos in case of confusion
- the seam allowances were too small for the batting, outer fabric and inner fabric to be stitched neatly (this was from my mum!)

Verdict
I was delighted to be sent it, and I'd definitely buy it to give as a gift! I might dedicate a full day, rather than a couple of hours for future projects, though, so that I can spend time working them through. All-in-all, it's a great value book, which is a joy to look at and slightly more of a challenge to work from!