this is... my favourite film

Things have been a bit crazy in the Teacups-camp of late and I haven't had a chance to play along with "This is..." for a while, BUT I could not resist this week's topic from the delightful Hokey. Of course my favourite film is Amelie. When in Paris a few years back we visited the cafe where it was set. We tried our very best to not look like tourists and fit into the very cool french crowd... Somehow the camera flash going off when we were sneaking happy snaps soon gave us away.

a tweety tag

I've been tagged by the lovely Shellbells and ever-delightful Handmade Romance.  So here are 6 random tweet-delights about myself:

1.  I refuse to wear heels even though I'm a shortie.

2. I can't bite into icy poles.

3. Any conversation remotely scientific makes my eyes glaze over.

4. I firmly believe it is a man's job to take the bins out.

5. Mr Teacups doesn't agree with the above but does it for me anyway.

6. I have successfully taught Penny the puppy to "sit" and now have proof.

In other non-tag related news. I finally sat down to begin (and finish) my Birdcage Kit from this amazingly talented blogger AND a big, huge, ginormous thank you to Claire for awarding me my very first "Love Your Blog" award!

finally a finished crochet blanket

Yes it's true, I have finished a crochet blanket but unfortunately it is not my BIG crochet blanket. This one is baby sized for the beautiful Little Miss Bianca. The extent of my crocheting skills is limited to granny squares so this one is a giant sized granny at around a metre square. And I'm very happy to report that Bianca's mummy loved it but unfortunately the little miss was sleeping at the time.

hello

Hello! My name is Penny Lane. I love nothing more than being cuddled by my new friends and family. I also like chewing up my toys and the odd shoe (when I can sneak past the big people). Like a good girl should, I demand lots of attention and have been the reason for Danielle's lack of blogging and crafty stuff in the past week. I don't mind though cause it means I am getting LOTS of puppy love!

curlypops rocks

Another lovely surprise was waiting in my mailbox today. After a chance encounter in the Brown Owls carpark last week, the very generous Cam of CurlyPops fame sent me this lovely gift. A gorgeous little bag with absolutely divine flower lining and a very sweet flower brooch. Absolutely perfect for Spring! Check out some more of Cam's creations here.

granny squares galore

My crochet blanket has turned into a bit of a combined effort with me and my mum. I crochet granny squares galore and she has the not-so-fun job of stitching them all together (I do love her!). So far it is approximately 1 metre square but I am hoping to make it around 1.5 x 2.5 metres. We shall see how long my fingers can keep going!

postie-love

I arrived home earlier to discover a treasure trove in my mailbox. A couple of weeks ago I won a giveaway (my very first!) over at Above All Fabric, and the delightful Melanie sent me some beautifully quilted Christmas Cards as well as some very well co-ordinated fabric. I'm getting quite a beautiful fabric stash happening (you should see what the lovely Lisa from Duckcloth sent my way!!), but I need to take the plunge and get those scissors out! 

Even more postie-goodness was had with the arrival of my Birdcage kit from Ric-Rac. I had just ordered it on the weekend so Jodie must have had her running shoes on to get it to me super-quick!

brown owls printing goodness

I haven't been to Brown Owls for a while so was very much looking forward to it last night. The task was simple fabric printing and print, print, print we did. The one above was a test but I ended up liking it more than the final so think I will use it for something... any ideas?

penny lane

We are about to have a new addition to the Teacups family. This is Miss Penny Lane who will be coming to live with us in a few short weeks. In the above photo (far right) she is with her puppy siblings... and looks a lot like Chewbacca from Star Wars. I think she is the cutest spoodle in the whole wide world!

PS: Yes, Mr Teacups has become a doggy person!

PPS: Thanks to a lot of you for asking about the crochet blanket. It is still a work in progress but getting there. I will take a photo in the next few days so you can see how it's coming along.

another doll bites the dust

It was my older sister's birthday last week and as always I had the dilemna... what do you buy someone who has everything?? With my newfound sewing powers and crafty ways, I soon came up with the perfect solution. While you may have noticed that I am a huge believer in the "Ways of the Co-ordinated", I learnt absolutely everything I know off my sister, the Matching Master. So without further ado, may I present the Divine Miss Marie! She wears gorgeous gold necklace with leaf detail, complimented perfectly by her ribbon trim belt. And a girl can never wear too much gold! Gold trim on both shoes and handbag and of course no outfit is complete without a touch of "M" bling! 

The pattern is based on the one from here but with a few little tweaks. I'm really happy with the finished result and think my sewing is finally improving (I've even let you sneak a peek up close!).