Summer!!!!!   Yaaaaay can you feel it?  It’s finally here and it’s fabulous!!!!

Further proof of it’s arrival

the beautiful blooms on my balcony.  I decided to go for an Alice in wonderland themed floral display this year,  I absolutely fell in love with the Canterbury bells (in the large white pot) at the Madison’s farmers market and I am pleased that they appear to be happy with their new location……they are  just so beautiful,  look for yourself

They make me want to sip tea from them in an imaginary tea cup kind of way.

Also hooray for Hollywood,  or well my piccie of the Hollywood sign at least as it made the schmap guide for LA ( check out the little box with the images in the right hand corner).   I am so excited about that I can’t even tell you,  I always try and take good photos when I am out and about and on vacation but to have verification that I am alright at it just makes me beam from ear to ear.

So that’s all my news for now I am off to enjoy my balcony blooms.

I’ve been trying to come up with new critters for the critter boxes,  when it struck me…….

The ultimate low maintanance pet………goldfish.  They’re kinda fun to make with the big eyes and lips.

This weekend is going to be great,  we are going to Madison to stay for the weekend.  Staying at the fancy schmancy  Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club to boot.  We decided to stay as The Detroit Cobra’s are playing the High Noon late Friday night,  and there is nothing worse than driving the hour drive back to Rockford when all you want to do is sleep.   Plus it will be great to just  get up and walk to the farmer’s market (our first one of this year…..kinda shocking).

So eek I can’t wait roll on Friday………yippppppeeeeee

nah not really.  It’s just I’m in a little bit of a potter frenzy these days,  you see we finally made it to the Harry Potter exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago  this past weekend…….and eeeeeeeek it was great

The museum really did a top notch job at presenting all the film props,  they even hired a whole bunch of British people to tell the stories of the artifacts which definitely added to the fun.  We managed to illicit a few stolen iphone pics inside the exhibit but my hubby still hasn’t downloaded them…..haruuuuumph,  I think he’s afraid I’ll post the piccie of him and buckbeak.

And more proof I have been good really?  hmmmm,  well then let me share my 2 newest critters.

Tommy the little torro and

Winston the bulldog,  both inspired by my recent vacation.   I guess i want to make a critter for my Scottish trip but I need to order wool………dontcha just hate when that happens?  i just know he’s going to be rattling around in my brain till I finally do make him.

And other than that all has been quiet in critter land……..I have been thinking about boring things like  a new sofa and possibly a bed but it’s very hard to persuade my hubby to spend money on such things especially seeing as how he could buy a bigger tv instead……….honestly how dumb are men?

I thought I’d start this post on a positive happy note and show you my chubby chirpers…..

I originally made these for the craftacular and they sold really well so I decided to make a few of ’em and because I got rather addicted to making them (and that they are my new favourite things)  I also made a mobile

So now for the drama………the reason I had so much time to make chirpers is because on Thursday I got the phonecall no one married to anyone who cycles wants to get………..”lulu I’ve just been hit by a car……..but I think I’m fine……..oh I’ll call you back the ambulance is here”  click……    eh?  what?  where are you?    hello!!!! hello!!!!!    oh shit     he blogged about it here  so you can see his knackered bike and broken hand if you want.    So yeah drama isn’t my favourite thing in the world I just thank god he’s basically ok although he is seeing a specialist about his hand tommorrow………keep your fingers crossed his hand is ok cos’ he sure can’t.

The lovely Naomi  ( of Glitterworkshop and organizer of the rather fabulous Craftaculars)  is expecting an ickle baby,  and had asked me to make a forest friend mobile for Henri’s room…….and here it is

I hope she likes it,  personally I love it…….which amuses me as I was sorta hesitant at making it.  I don’t know why I don’t make more needle felt mobiles really,  in my mind I think it takes so long to needle felt the pieces but seeing as how I hand sew the other ones there really isn’t too much of a difference,  I guess once I get an idea in my head it takes a while to shift it.   Anyway I may eventually make more when I have a moment……..oooooh which really gets my mind clicking over with possibilities.

Phew….I’m still exhausted from the whirlwind that was this weekend………….The Craftacular (as always) ran incredibly smooth and literally hundreds of people came,  thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and said hello to me and the critters.

I thought I’d share a piccie of how I set up my booth

It was pretty cool to be so close to the Miss Pacman machine I had to fight the urge to plug it in all day……and it made me wish I had made another pacman mobile.

I also took a piccie of the main floor

All the vendors were fantastic and there was a ton of goodies I wanted to purchase,  but with our car woes I just collected a ton of cards to add to my growing etsy favourites list.

We were lucky enough to stay  with our Madison friend Rose for the night which meant we got to enjoy rhythms and booms,  the giant free firework show set to music over the water…….it seems to last forever and we snagged a great spot to watch it on a private jetty right by the water…..very fun night.

And so now I have a few very cool commissions that I had better get cracking on…….I’ll share with you as always when I’m done.

Just thought I’d take a second out of my ” gaaaaaaaah Craftacular this weekend” panic and share Buttercup with you……

She’s a really shy girl so photographing her was a little tricky.  I of course will add her to the shop

In other news I still don’t have Sally back (my mini cooper) waaaaaaa I miss Sally!!!!  and I’m trying to pack up the critters for the Craftacular this weekend…….not an easy job as they hate being cooped up.  Speaking of the craftacular remember that the first 50 people through the door get a goody bag with awesome freebies in it……..including a little something from yours trully so come on by to the high noon in Madison WI this Saturday

Saturday we had to go to Naperville to get the tire on our mini Sally replaced……….run flat tires are a serious pain in the ass by the way,  no one ever has them in stock and joy of joys even though I called and got the appointment to replace the tire a whole 5 days in advance the genious dealership forgot to order them as well.  But besides that brilliant start they also discovered that because of the awful state of the roads in Illinois my poor beloved Sally had broken struts and would cost $1,100.00 to repar……..sigh,  welcome back credit card debt you never seem to go away for very long.

So off we headed into Chicago in our fancy new loaner mini where the day was salvaged by the purchase of some new awesome and on sale Oakley frames……hmmmm which reminds me I need to find an optician who can put lenses in them

I love them and it will be  nice  to have a change of glasses…….and then we saw the Detroit Cobras at the double door,  they are one of those bands that are always brilliant live and you are practically gauranteed a good time at the show.

Friday I got this guy finished

I figuered with the abundance of mice I’ve been making of late I had better employ someone to keep them in check.  His name is Mr Orange and he lives to slash and cut.

challenges………well let me clarify that sentence I love needle felting challenges (life challenges I’m not that keen on). I finally got finished with the latest two and here they are

It’s Arlene and Pooky……for those who don’t know who they are, Arlene is the one and only fat cat Garfield’s love interest and Pooky is his teddy bear. I loved making Garfield and Odie

and was very sad to see them go…….but very glad that they went to someone who loves Garfield as much as I do. And soon they will have company…….I’m sure Garfield will be happy to see them.

So other than working on those guys I’ve been trying to get organised for the Craftacular next weekend………eeeeek where on earth does the time go? It was ages away and now it’s almost here…….

If you are in the Madison area I highly recommend you stop by early as there is a goody bag for the first 50 people who come in……..

He’s been here for over a week but he hasn’t stopped tutting and sweeping since he got here for me to take his piccie……..but finally I got him trapped in a corner and clicked a few shots.

cute lil’ feller ain’t he?  I will list him in the shop of course
Currently I’m working on a few commissions that I can’t wait to share with you……….but for now I’m back to the stabby.