Remember why you started

When I was 20 I picked up a cross stitch kit to pass the time while my then boyfriend played cricket on a Saturday afternoon. I really enjoyed it and bought another one and then another. Cross stitching passed the time and rekindled the love for being creative that i subdued in school because I assumed that if you couldn't draw then you weren't artistic.

A few years down the line I started designing my own patterns with a computer program. Nothing huge but i was please with the result. My most prized pattern at that time was one I designed for my Share sisters. Share was a site that helped me after the loss of my 3rd son Adam. At this point I had two sons (Evan & Adam)who had passed away during pregnancy and one healthy three year old called George. I went on to lose another little boy Ryan. Then we were blessed to have Daniel. I carried on designing patterns.

This is one I made for a friend. I have yet to stitch one for my three Angels.

Then came the sewing machine, I used an old one to try and make a camel costume for George when he got a part in the school nativity when he was four. It wasn't very good and I didn't manage to do the head but I was still proud I managed to make something without a pattern. It even had a little hump lol.

I started my facebook page to raise money to pay for a headstone for my boys and I managed to do that. By this time I had tried many different crafts and was really enjoying making and learning. The bonus came when I got to help pay the bills and buy some treats for the family. I work many more hours than when i used to "go out" to work but I love what I do and if I need to I can drop everything and go get the children or whatever needs to be done. 

So now i come to the point of the post. This weekend my children were both ill so there was no working at the machine. They needed me at the drop of a hat. I was so grateful that this was possible due to me working for myself. I have a four year old and an 13 year old but both of them needed their Mummy to look after them and give the cwtches. I didn't have to rely on someone else doing this for me.

While they were sleeping I picked up a crochet hook and logged on to you tube to do something I have been wanting to have a go at for a long time. I made a little flower first and was really pleased so i looked at other tutorials. Slowly between looking after each child and making dinner for my husband and father I made the butterfly in the top photo. Its not huge, it took me a few hours but I was so pleased with it. 

While everyone slept I sat downstairs and thought to myself that although the reason I ended up crafting something for myself wasn't the best I loved learning and having something to show for it.

From now on I am going to make sure that the only crafting I do on a Sunday will be something for myself and my family. The thrill of knowing people want to buy your creations is wonderful but remember why you picked up the needles, the hook or whatever you use in your craft and make something for yourself.

Happy Crafting.

Win a forever memory panel of your child's drawing.

Forever Memory Raffle
I have really enjoyed doing these and thought as a way of saying thank you to all my followers on my facebook page I would run a raffle. The idea started when i saw my four year old draw a family picture of us for the first time ever. I wanted to put it up on the wall but then i noticed that the old ones that my 13 year old son had drawn as much as 7 years ago (yes I still kept them up) were starting to fade.
Wanting to keep them forever i decided to spend a few days over the Christmas holidays doing some freehand machine embroidery. I have no had a few commissions and have really enjoyed making them.
Places are now being booked as far ahead as Christmas.

I know they are quite a luxury item price wise so i wanted to give people a chance to win one.
So how will I do this? I have asked a few people and doing it on facebook was a risk I didn't want to take having worked on my page for quite a few years.

Now for the boring bit, terms and conditions.
1. This raffle is not supported or endorsed by facebook or any other 2nd party.
2. You may purchase as many tickets as you would like.
3. Ticket numbers will be allocated on the time stated my paypal account.
4. Tickets will cost £1 each, paid by sending gift payment lane.mummy2angels@ntlworld.com. Please put contact details in the notes so i can let you know if you have won.
5. Post and packaging is free anywhere in the UK however any overseas winners will incur additional postage costs.
6. Willowlane Designs reserves the right to ask for an alternative drawing and can not be held accountable for differences in the final product if a poor copy of the drawing is sent.
7. Raffle will be drawn during my Market Night on the 14th of April at 8.45pm. If more than 40 tickets are sold I will add another prize.
8. Winner will have the option to have panel made into a cushion cover.

To dye for?

Now I know this isn't really a craft post but it has had me thinking for some time now.
For those of us out there who dye are hair, why do we dye it?
At the grand age of 37 (until May) I have been dying my hair for over 20 years. It started because i wanted something a bit more exciting then brown. Now it has become a must to cover the white hair that is taking over my head. Just before Christmas was the last time i hide the truth but I am either using the wrong dye or my hair is fighting me because with in weeks the colour fades and the dye seems to come away from the white hair.
So I got to thinking what I would look like if I just grew it out and faced up to the fact that I will be a white hairs lady before i thought. Right now it looks about 60/40 or 70/30 if I want to be kind.
Should I keep spending all this money trying to stop time or should I just jump in and see what it looks like. I can always dye it if i don't like it right?
My plan is to have a hair cut so that i cut lots of the old dyed hair out and that it hopefully doesn't look so bad as I am growing it out. I tried stripping the dye off but it just turned my hair Ginger, not that I don't like ginger, in fact i spent years trying to get that colour if I had only know all I needed was a box of colour stripper I would have saved a fortune.
Would you do it if you were me? Does anyone want to join me? Would anyone like to see pictures as I go along? or should i just go get some dye and wait a few more years?