New logo

My efforts at making a banner for the shop were pathetic. Luckily my good friend James Newman Gray is an illustrator so I asked him to make one. He's done a rather wonderful job so now I'll have to make him something!

If you'd like to see more of James' artwork he has his own blog.

Wanna see some pretty things?

Sadly there is still a lack of stuff for sale. I have lost my crafty mojo a little and everything seems to be taking an age to make. While you're waiting, why not visit my art blog The Shadow of Ice to see what I got up to this weekend because the weather was horrible and dad was watching golf on TV!

And we're off!

Ok it may be a little empty at the moment, but Scrap-e-Do finally has a folksy shop! All items that are for sale should be blogged about first so you get a heads up. But why don't you go and see what's for sale? :D

Silent running

Apologies for the lack of action on the blog at the moment. I have been rather busy trying to sort out my ESA payments and then suffering from a nasty attack of jaundice brought about by some gallstones being stuck in my bile duct. I am no longer in pain, itching, or the colour of a corn fed chicken, but I still get tired very quickly. My mum hasn't been blogging either because she's been looking after me! (Good ole mum :) )

Sadly it meant that we weren't able to be at the Armathwaite arty bazaar on 16th April, so sorry we weren't there if you were hoping to meet us. Hopefully we will be able to get our shop up and running once we've managed to get a few more things made! Can't really start a shop with only about 5 things...

scrappy kindle cover

Take a boring old woollen tweed suit from a charity shop, boil it up in the washing machine until it has felted, cut it to size, decorate with an embroidered hand, then sew up with blanket stitch. Voila- a case to keep your e reader safe.

The perils of scrap-e-do

One of the perils of charity shop buying is that you end up buying things that you didn't really go into the shop for. I bought a really nice Royal Malvern Bone china part tea set- 2 cups 2 saucers and 2 plates- that I did think I might sell on, but I decided to keep because I like it so much. I can't find out much about it but the pattern looks like it might be 1950s. A bargain at 75p.

Crochet pet blanket

Made from chunky weight acrylic yarn, this blanket can be machine washed, making it practical for your pet! Roughly 18in square.

This will be for sale at the Armthwaite craft fair.

Crocheted moebius cowl

Made from Patons Art in colourway Ginger. This is a chunky weight yarn made from acrylic, alpaca, mohair and polyester.

A warm and stylish cowl with a moebius strip design!

This will be for sale at the Armathwaite craft fair.

Come meet us!

We don't bite, honestly!

On Saturday 16th April we will be in Armathwaite village hall selling wares in aid of a parent support group for children with diabetes. Don't know the running times yet, so will let you know when I do.

valentine heart

Hand sewn with felt and embroidery thread from carlisle market.

Scrap-e-do ... we recycle, we re-use, we sew and knit and crochet too!

Charity shop trawl #2 12.02.11

My usual charity shop partner in crime is my neighbour Sara. She was bored on Saturday afternoon and wanted to try and find some stuff on the cheap. Sadly she didn't find what she was looking for, but I certainly had a good haul again, for both myself and for projects!

Purchases of the day were a blue/turquoise silk scarf, for Scrap-e-Do use:


a green floral pillowcase, for Scrap-e-Do use:



a multicoloured floral pillowcase, for Scrap-e-Do use:



an incredibly cute apron, which I haven't decided if I'm keeping yet or donating to Scrap-e-Do:


some very 70s purple floral fabric, for Scrap-e-Do use:


and again I saved the best for last! A pinkish tweed suit which looks like it was tailored especially for me :) the first pic is to demonstrate the colour (sort of):


this second pic shows off the beading detail:


the jacket:


the skirt:


The suit is by Serena Kay, which is a designer I've never heard of but I did a search on eBay and apparently she's quite pricey!

Charity Shop trawl #1 10.02.11

On Thursday mum and I went along the charity shops on Botchergate. It's a lottery of finding good things, but we weren't disappointed! Found, but not photographed are a whisk and two Jeffrey Deaver Books. Well you don't really need to see those do you...

The first shop we hit, Age Concern, turned out to be the best of the lot. Our full haul for the morning includes a rather nice plant pot, now with crocus bulbs in:




a pretty floral pillowcase for Scrap-e-Do use:


a purple tweed suit, which we have now felted, for Scrap-e-Do use:


a hoodie which appeals to my inner goth. The design is on the back and front and even glows in the dark:


some buttons and a fastener, for Scrap-e-Do use:



and last but not least, a dinner service including dinner plates, lunch plates, cake plates, cups and saucers, two jugs, a sugar basin and a lidded marmalade jar! The design is Midwinter Roselle:


I haven't decided how much of the set I'm going to keep yet. I will probably sell the cups and saucers as I don't really use those, and possibly one of the jugs and the sugar basin to go with it.

Welcome to Scrap-e-Do!

Hello there! We are Gill and Karen Hands, a mother and daughter team. We've decided to run a little online business together, predominantly through the folksy site. We have yet to set up a shop as we're still working on our first items for sale. However in the run up to our shop becoming functional Karen will accept knitting and crochet commissions. There will be a separate post regarding that later.

In the meantime keep an eye on this blog to be kept up to date with what we're doing, ideas, projects etc.