Making Blankets

When a child arrives into your home through adoption, they bring all their personal belongings with them: clothes, toys, cutley and crockery, suitcase for clothes, storage boxes for toys, towles, toiletries and their own familiar bedding. When I did the photos of the bedroom for her special photo album, I thought I couldn't take a picture of just an empty bed, so I got the jungle quilt which seemed fun - and she loves it! I really wanted to make some things but knew she would come with all her own familiar spare duvet covers, so was wondering what I could make to add my own personal new mummy touch. I made these balnkets:

I used a plain fleece material and patterned funky t-shirt material printed fabric for the other side. This adds colour and fun without the blankets being too huge and heavy. Once I had sewn them up right sides together I turned them to their right sides and sewed inside the edge all the way around - to act as a bit of a hem and to help the fabric feel a bit more secure - at least in my own head, anyway! They are perfect and dearly loved, as well as being cosy and warm for these cold wintry and snowy days!

Getting Ready

I said that I haven't done much by way of being creative these last couple of years. I have done some things, though that I will share here. First up are the curtains. I got them in the sales last year, before I knew if I was having a boy or a girl and thought that I would add some applique embelishments when I knew more! I thought I would do flowers for a girl and train and cars for a boy. I got plain blue ginham check curtains with ties and added some dotty ribbons in various colours to the top. Then I added flowers and butterflies to the curtains. I ironed on interfacing to each piece before sewing the pieces on zig zag with the machine.

We both love them!

Welcome 2013 It's been a Long and Bumpy Journey!

I can't quite believe another year has gone by without me blogging here - well I can, but.... It has been a year of big changes and preparation and getting ready and waiting and waiting and waiting. It has tested me and pushed me to the limit. Almost. At times. A year of uncertainty. The doors I pushed in 2011 finally opened in 2012. A dream finally fullfilled in an unexpected way. My excuse for not blogging here? I am finally a Mum and loving it. I have been pushing the doors of adoption for the last 2 years. It has been rather all consuming it has to be said and most of my free time was taken up with form filling in, visits with professionals, compiling files ready for approval. At times I felt as if my creativity was being stifled, although I did my best to keep my creativity going. It has been in the writing for the assessments, where you spend hours and hours each week pouring out your heart and inner being. Months of preparing files with photos of evidence of childcare experience, which I scrapbooked! Further months getting the room ready and preparing a scrapbook of photos to introduce my little girl to her new home and surroundings - and of course the cat! More of all this later! Anyway, finally, here we are. It has been a long journey and lots of uncertainty and a very bumpy ride. Finally we are now both home and doing well. I am loving it but have been too knackared to do much creative in the last few months since we both arrived safely home. The creative things I have done over the last 2 years: scrapbooking, decorating, have all been kept a little quiet as there was so much uncertainty surrounding the process. Getting the room ready:

The cat is adjusting well to having a wee girl chase him everywhere and runs and jumps fast to escape.She, shrieks with delight when he sits on her artwork - usually on her glitter glue!