With 2016 just around the corner, I thought this would be a good time to look back at 2015 and see which posts were the most popular! Are you ready? Here are the 5 most read posts of the year:


2. Launching the Companion Carpet Bag

I said this before, but a hobby that feels lonely is no kind of hobby to me. That's why I loved being part of the Bag of the Month club last year and why I am so keen to be a part again this year. I loved the camaraderie, the different versions but most of all connecting with those actually using my patterns and seeing their creativity.

I am chuffed that my January's bag of the month club '15 pattern, The Companion Carpet Bag, made it in this top most popular posts of the year!

3. How to make an adjustable purse strap with two clips

I know that our preference for purse straps are very different and sometimes you want to make your handbag strap removable as well as adjustable, so I've come up with a little tutorial to show you how to do that too. 



4. How to attach leather handles to your bag

I don't know if you have this a try, but let me tell you, using leather handles makes your bags seem so luxurious! They might be a little pricey, but they're really easy to attach if you've decided to give them a try. Tip: if you can find any on bags in the charity shop, or in your wardrobe that you don't want, use them!

5. The slouchy sling bag FREE pattern

The Sling Bag is a an easy project for someone who is new to bag making. The pattern includes detailed explanations, colour photographs, pattern pieces, and it's free.


6. The Bookbag Backpack pattern

I eventually re-launched an upgraded version of the pattern this year, but this post made it into the top 10!


7. Scrap friendly luggage tags tutorial

This post was part of our grand de-stashing November, here on the blog. Michelle from Uniquely Michelle knew we all have: a) lots of pretty scraps and b) black luggage :) and shared a step by step tutorial for making your own luggage tags.



8. A comparison of some of the most popular foam stabilisers

As you might have noticed, there are a lot of new products on the market now to help with your bag making, most noticeably foam stabilisers. Foam stabilisers are great because they give your handmade bags body, stability and an overall professional finish. (I use stabilisers for my Saddlebag, Nappy bag and Bookbag Backpack patterns, for example). But what's the difference and which should you choose? All you need to know about foam stabilisers in the post linked above.



9. A review of Suedetrim for easier bag making

This year I had the chance to use a new (to me) product which I'd love to tell you about. I purchased it fair and square and thought you would like to know a bit more about it. It's a new type of headliner fabric. It's either for luxury car ceilings, or lazy bag makers (like me!). It's a faux suede bonded to a 2mm foam headliner. I thought it would help eliminate the need for an outer stabiliser and I was right, I was really pleased with it.



10. Super drawstring pouch tutorial 

Lisa from Two Pretty Poppets created this great tutorial on making drawstring pouches as part of our November destashing challenge. They were a success, as you can see!



That's all for today! What would you like to read about on the blog in the New Year?

So now it's 2013. Twenty Thirteen, Two Thousand and Thirteen?

Dare I go so far as to say, "Thirteen"? I'm fed up of having to say so much when it comes to the year, what happened to '98', '45' etc? Let's pioneer the year '13' shall we?

Good, so now we're all living in the future, let's think back to 2012...it seems like only yesterday. I remember it like it was yesterday. Wait, it WAS yesterday!!!!


I was going to do a top ten posts of 2012 but I ended up with 6. 6 will have to do my friends cos I am so over 2012!

Number 6 of most viewed was: BEING SCROOGE

Number 5 of most viewed was: Stashbusting September: Circle Skirt

Maybe this year I'll be able to go outside for photos once in a while?

Number 4 on the list was: Upcycled Pyjama Quilt

You should know that this quilt top is STILL sitting on top of my wardrobe basted, ready to be quilted. At this rate, it's going to the Long Arm Quilters, cost aside!!

Number 3 on the most viewed list was: How to make an adjustable bag strap

This was just before I released my first bag pattern for sale, I managed 3 last year, I'll try to double that this year! (Some for freebies though)

Number 2 on the most viewed list is: Pinned it, did it {Patchwork Bible cover}

This cover tutorial works for any book, it's just my Bible was the book with the scraggy cover!

And number 1 most viewed post of 2012 is......

(Are you getting excited yet?)

Short Hair Warning

This is still pretty much how I look every day when I wake up, but it only takes 3 minutes (ish) to put it right so I don't care! Ha! you all who take 45 minutes to do your hair, ha!

There we go, the obligatory round up post...done! Disappointly though they're all from the first part of the year, I will have to try harder this year to post things that people want to read rather than just random ramblings!

I'll be back in a couple of days time with my goals for 2013. I've already chosen a word to try and remember this year....simplify. I bet I can't stick to it LOL!

Happy new year all! xx









p.s. one of my goals is to comment more and lurk less so if you suddenly find I'm commenting every single day on your blogs, that's why! Some of my favourite blogs that I've been following since FOREVER, have never yet had my comment on them! This year that's all changing! xx

If you're in our area of South Wales, you're very welcome to join us in our celebrations.

We're starting off at the Nos Galan Races in Mountain Ash.

From 6.40pm ish we'll be at Mountain Ash train station (the best place for viewing) ready for the fireworks at 6.45pm. (They're AMAZING fireworks too!).

You can park at the Mountain Ash Comp and catch the park and ride bus for free into town.

Dus is running at 7.30pm. You can sponsor him here: Dus' Just Giving Page. He's only 40% of the way to his target so all U.K. donations are welcome. (Just Giving doesn't accept international donations) He's running for Cancer Research UK in memory of his mum, Jane Hussey who passed away from breast cancer on New Year's Day 2000.

After last year's race.

After that we'll be using the cafe at church for our after race party with some nosh and drinks. If you'd like to come along, please do so from 9pm at Moriah Aman Christian Centre, Fforchaman Road, Cwmaman, CF44 6HW. All nibbles gratefully accepted. Tammie's already contributed some coconut patties :)

See you then then chums, we'd love to see you! xx

Let me be the first to admit {in public} that I've given up one of my new year's resolutions already.

Actually, I gave it up last week but didn't have internet to tell you.

Ok, rewind, let's go back to when I actually made them and I can tell you what they were. I made two. I thought two was a reasonable amount.

So a resolution I think is something that you've thought through, you've set your mind to it and are fairly determined to make it work. You can't go into this all willy nilly and expect to last an entire year. Oh no boyyo, it doesn't work like that.

I didn't go with the common popular resolutions, I am not a sheep.

Our tomato we grew last year. It was meant to be a cherry tomato, we didn't fail.

 Not for me the eating healthy, becoming organised, paying my phone bill on time, writing up the minutes to meetings within a few days of the meetings {oops!} or the exercising, becoming toned, giving up something I luxuriate in doing etc. Oh no, this year I was far more original and far superior. In fact, let's just say that my two resolutions were the best ANYONE could have come up with.

Dusband ate the tomato. I hope he was happy; he doesn't look happy.

Here they are in order of importance. Note this order.

1) Eat more chocolate {yes, more}.

2) Don't feel bad for saying no and letting others take the strain for a while {ok, just actually saying no is enough let alone how I feel about it!}.

As you can see, if Dus offers me a piece of chocolate I can't say no because that eclipses resolution 1. If I get asked to cover someone's tea duty and I don't want to/can't then I can say no and not feel bad.

If I want to say yes then I can, but I need to get out of this habit of actively volunteering for stuff when I could be spending my time on the ministries we already have and do them better. Unless it all comes down to me. You know the scenario. The world's going to end in the next 15 minutes unless someone hand stitches a pink button onto Superman's daughter's coat....and I'm the only person who has a pink button! Then I should really say yes. Not least because I have an entire jar of pink buttons.

{via}

Right-o where were we in my maze of rambleness. Oh yes, I've fallen off the wagon.

The first few days were easy peasy. Finish dinner, have some chocolate. Fancy a mid morning snack, have some chocolate. Make some chocolate brownies, eat some.

Then I started to feel a bit oily faced, and a bit bloated and I just kinda knew that I shouldn't eat such a large volume of chocolate regularly. They say you are what you eat and I do believe that many of today's health problems can be treated by eating a better diet and having regular exercise {ahem, let's not mention that one} but chocolate? How could such a close friend turn on me like that?

Anyway, so I've nixed that one and am trying to stick to my previous one {tiny} bar of chocolate {actually tiny, I'm not lying here} a day and feel a lot better for it.

{Pic from Snack Love}

I know I'm a good weight, it's not about that. Don't hate on me because I eat healthily the rest of the time and am slim. It's about coming to a point where you realise that what you're getting out of eating such a HUGE amount of chocolate is not really ideal. Maybe I've just become too sensible with my food choices these days, who knows.

I still love pizza. I limit that to once a week though. I used to eat a small pizza for lunch every single day before I met the Dusband. In fact, I dunno why I stopped that...

p.s. also, why do all the companies trying to sell you stuff market it as New Year, New You! ?

You're not new, you're the same you. You can become as if new by the cleansing power of Christ when you accept him as your Lord and Saviour. But really, unless you wanna be saved you're going to have to face facts and work with what you have. New year isn't magical, you'll still be the same fantastic person as you were last year, just your habits might change some. x