Winding Down

I am enjoying this second week of school holidays far more than the first. No surprises, really, the kids have stopped nagging about when they can open their pressies, there are no last minute gifts to buy or make, there's no fancy food to prepare...and the kids can just relax and play with their new toys and have play dates, and I'm slowly getting the house in order again too!
The late lie-ins in the morning are fantastic too, waking up at 7am next week is not going to be fun.

As promised, here's what I was making just before Christmas. A pin cushion in a teacup for my mother in law, and a sock monkey for Arthur, the kids' cousin. Liam's monkey is on the right - he begged and begged me to make him one too.

The pin cushion is a copy (or rip-off, if you prefer) of one I've seen on Etsy. I realise that there's a fine line between copying something out right, and using creative elements to make it your own. I've been blocked on Flickr by the person who inspired me to make the wedding cake toppers, I guess because she doesn't want me to 'steal' any more of her ideas. My peg-dolls are not original either - but I had never seen them before until I stumbled across them on Flickr and Etsy, so it was natural to copy how their clothing was made and their shoes and tights. I think the big difference is whether or not I was to open an Etsy shop selling my peg dolls or a pin cushion in a teacup...but when I use my own creative ability to create something (almost exactly the same) that I've seen on the internet, the creator should take it as a compliment - I liked their item so much that I wanted to make one myself, and while I'm not rolling in money that I can buy one of everything I see, I am rolling in creative talent, which I use to make myself happy and bring joy to those I share it with. If I copy something of yours, please take it as a compliment. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.