A wee bit late with this weeks roundup. Have been knee deep in preparations for my daughters birthday. It was 9 nines years ago that I began this journey called parenthood – and boy has it been a nerve racking (yet satisfying) ride . And its not getting any easier. This is year slumber parties begin, backchat and eye rolling is heating up, fashion design and competition for the sewing machine is getting fiercer (and my fabric stash is getting constantly raided) … Birthday cake this year is pavlova and there are 9 friends invited but only 2 to sleep over … double dutch skipping is the activity of choice for the party, with basket ball hoops, trampoline tricks and dance competitions also on the agenda. My husband and I are both a little nervous …

Craft blog tips series so far: better craft blogging : craft blog etiquette : better craft blog writing : how to build an audience for your craft blog and photography tips for your craft blog and better tutorials. Yet to come … more advanced photography techniques, book reviews, blog design and more… dying to know something – email me whipup[AT]gmail.com and I will try to cover it in this series in the coming weeks.

With Earth day last wee we featured a few recycling craft tutorials: bed sheet skirt how to use a sheet to make a wrap skirt : rubber band toy launcher – what a fantastic father son project : homemade poster paint - great rainy day project : crafty bugs – fantastic kids weekend project : t-shirt weaving – another great kids weekend project : plastic bag beads - use ‘plastic bag fabric’ to make these beads : diy tire trug :

We featured lots of knitting and crochet patterns this week: hyperbolic dishcloth – love this pattern makes doing the dishes almost fun : bender dishcloth – for those geek crafters out there : sprout baby blanket pattern is quite delectable : get crocheting with the granny a day til the end of May : Hear Margaret Wertheim discuss crochet : knit a sanquhar glove : vintage short sleeve sweater : button tab hats are pretty versatile : vintage knit sweaters for him – and her – look perfectly suited to today’s fashions.

Quilting and sewing related links: sew a furoshiki (by hand) : sew some waffle dishcloths : cedar sneaker stuffers – what a fantastic idea to get rid of unwanted odours : reversable apron : hem along : bloggers quilt festival : love the mint and chocolate quilt : freezer paper foundation piecing : mod sampler roundup : experiments in fabric alteration : coffee date dress pattern from burda style is very gorgeous : spring top pattern from craft is very sweet

Other project I loved this week included the internet stitch sampler : book arts vase : crafting with nature from craft

Thanks for reading and happy crafting weekend!

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