Okay, so it's several days after Halloween, but as this cake is just about the only creative thing I seem to have accomplished in weeks I couldn't miss an opportunity to post a picture.

So easy too - make a chocolate cake, buy some ready-made orange fondant icing, roll it out, cut out the pumpkin features, whack it on the top of the cake and voila! DS had a Halloween party for himself and four friends instead of trick and treating (though we gave out treats to anyone who knocked on the door but there were only three knocks anyway).

I'm seriously thinking that I must stop purchasing fabric, for a couple of years now I've collected shirts, bought fabric online from the U.S. (mainly sale fabric, very little at full price) as I concentrated on building up my stash. But ... the time has come when even DH commented that it was getting 'a little excessive'. Early on in my blogging days, I wrote a post here, about how I cut a small piece from every fabric I purchase, stick it on a business card with double-sided tape and catalogue all my fabric purchases in slide-pockets. I started off with just an A4 ring binder - it has now grown to 2 huge lever arch files. Here's a few of the contents. I still find this a great way to look at my stash. I have to keep the actual fabric in boxes on shelves, as the room they are in is very sunny and they would all fade if I didn't (might fade anyway for all I know). But, I have got a lot of fabric - I never buy with a particular project in mind, I just buy fabric because I like it. I've got a good range of colours, some of it is new and some of it is recycled and I think I could make mostly anything I want to now - if I had the time!!!!

So what did I do this morning? Yup, in between trying to write up a contract (I really know how to have a fun weekend) I went to a LQS that I didn't know of before and only just found out about. Well, what bargains were to be had! I've always loved the 'Bon Voyage' range from Makower but I absolutely refuse to pay £9 a yard (which is what it was retailing at). I got 3 yards each of 2 designs from the range for £1.25 a yard! Novelty fabrics aren't usually my thing but I bought the one with the Jam Jars for my Mum. The embroidered braid and the cute red polka dot bows were from the market yesterday. Do I know what I will make with any of this? No, of course not, but for me, that's the exciting bit, I couldn't bear to shop for fabric knowing what I was going to make with it first. And whilst I am going to be good, if I pass a thrift shop with a lovely cotton shirt for a pound, I'd be mad not to buy it, wouldn't I?