What Home Means to Me

I don't know if you are like me in that you save lots of pictures from around the web and then forget where they came from? If you do then Pinterest could be for you. I signed up to it through sfgirlbybay and am taking part in pinitforward 'What Home Means to Me'.

Pinterest is website that allows you to quickly and easily pin images and then save them along with the details of the website that they came from.

Here are some images that show 'What Home Means to Me'....

I love colour in my home so this wall would be perfect

via Lulu Aldunate

A comfy corner to relax...

via Lushlee

Sweet toys for my girls...

via kickcanandconkers and Lushlee

Outside space to relax and get some fresh air...

via apartmenttherapy

Pretty flowers in my favourite colour...

via homeshoppingspy

Lovely vintage furniture and accessories...

via cottage1945 and dottieangel

a comfy cosy place to collapse at the end of the day...

via craftangel

and last but certainly not least....

my family and pets, it just wouldn't be home without them.

I'd like to say thanks to sfgirlbybay for hosting this pinitforward and for introducing me to pinterest .

Tomorrow I look forward to seeing what home means to sweetsassafras, her blog is stunning so i'm sure her that her images will be too. 

And finally "thank you" to covetchicago for passing pinitforward to me. Check out her beautiful blog. 

x

Flowers

Hello there, it is back to normal around here again after the sunny weekend, it is grey, cloudy and thankfully a bit cooler.

I have been spending more time in the garden and thought I would share some of my flowers with you. I love this  time of the year when everything comes back to life and the flowers are popping up all over the place.

This purple beauty is my current favourite, it looks like velvet and the colour is amazing.

I'm loving the combination of yellow and lilac. I might use the same colours for some of my crochet. I did once try to crochet a pansy but wasn't too happy with it. Maybe I'll give it another go...

Chrysanthemum's in full bloom... 

another petunia, this one is not velvety but has a snake like pattern...

and finally the beautiful and delicate aquilegia, these always remind me of flower fairies.

I hope you have a good day.

x

Thrifty Finds

Hello, I hope that you had a good weekend. We have had a very warm and sunny one for a change!

My thrifty finds for the past week include buttons, not a huge amount like the week before, but some really lovely ones all the same. Only 2p each!

A small jug to add my growing Studio Meakin collection...

Some little clogs..

and finally a very kitsch but soooo sweet print.....

For more thrifty finds pop round and say hi to Sophie....

x

Sunflower Sneak Peek

Hello.

As I mentioned in the previous post I am having a break from the doily making and making flowers instead. 

Sunflowers are one of my favourite flowers, I love their big rounds faces and sunny yellow petals. They are great for cheering you up on a grey day. 

Here is a sneak peek of the ones that I am currently working on....

I hope that you have a sunny day.

x

Doilyfication

Hello there, I hope that you are well.

I thought I would begin the week by sharing some of things that I have been working on recently Yep, you guessed it, doilies.

I have been making these over the last week and then spent the weekend blocking them.

I am taking a bit of time out from the doily making and working on some flowers.

I will share those soon.

x

A Thrifty Week

In my never ending search for some vintage barkcloth I headed further afield this week and visited a few more thrift shops. I am so glad that I did. here are a few of my finds from this week....

Another plate to add to the collection...

A vintage floral plant pot...

A cake stand with the crinoline lady...

A sweet bone china thimble...

A multi-coloured crochet blanket...

And last but by no means least, a box full of buttons. I am always on the lookout for old buttons so when I saw a box full I was soooo excited. When I was told I could have them all for £1 I nearly fell over. There are hundreds! Including the ones that are still on the original card (above).

To see more thrifty goodies, pop round to Sophie's.

x

Amanda's Caravan

Hello there, I forgot to put a title for my last blog post, daft owd bird.
I wanted to let you know today that Amanda who has a lovely blog and also happens to be a fellow Mancunian is having a giveaway of this delightful Caravan embroidery....

She was inspired by this fabulous post on Lucy's blog and I think she created a marvellous piece of work. Pop round to Amanda's and say "Hi" if you fancy winning. 

x 

Hello there, I hope that you are well.

Do you remember the thrifted pillowcases that I posted about recently? Well, I mentioned that I wasn't sure what I would do them. Should I keep them as they are or cut them and use them for a new project? 

I must confess that I am terrible at making decisions of any kind be it big or small. I over analyse almost everything in my life and take ages to make up my mind. When it came to the pillowcases I ummed and ahhed and pondered and eventually came to the conclusion that I would like to keep them whole and use them as they were intended. However, having been in love with the work of Beata at Rosehip for the past two years, I attempted to add a crochet trim. 

Photo by Beata Basik

I chose the blue floral pillowcase for my eldest little one as blue is her favourite colour and over the summer we intend to sort out her bedroom (I use the term bedroom cautiously as it is more than a little scary in there, you know how children can be). I then added a blanket stitch around the edge (something that I clearly need to practice) before crocheting a shell pattern trim.

Now I realise`that mine is in no way as good as Beata's but for a first attempt I am quite happy with it and more importantly so is my eldest. I might go on to work on the others but haven't decided yet ( told you I was indecisive).

x

Pretty Plate

Hello, I hope you are having a great weekend.

My favourite thrifty find this week was this plate. It is a lovely pastel green colour which is not really showing up well in the photo. It cost only 50p which is remarkable because it is in immaculate condition.

I have been collecting plates for a while now as I intend to create a plate wall with mainly vintage finds but maybe a couple of more modern plates thrown in for balance. I'm getting close to the amount that I need so I really should start planning.

Some of my favourites from around the web include this one from Bluelines

and this one from Nina (although that could have more to do with the fact that I love her work!)...

Hope you have a great week.

For more thriftiness pop round to Sophie's.

x

Bunnies

Hello again, I hope that you are well.

I decided today to have a bit of change from the crochet and the doily making and decided to get out the old sewing machine. I have a bit of a soft spot for bunnies so attempted to make some really simple ones that would be suitable for both children and adults. 

They worked out quite well but on both of them the part under the arm keeps puckering up. I have no idea why this happens. It has also done the same around the tail and foot but not quite as bad. On one of them I used a felt backing and on the other a cotton backing. I initially thought that it was because the felt was too thick but when it happened on the other one as well I was well and truly stumped. 

Does anybody have any suggestions as to why this is happening?

PS. Apologies for the bad picture but the weather is still misbehaving.

Monster Doily

Hello, I hope that you are well. The weather has improved dramatically today so I am finally able to show you the finished doily. It took far longer to make than any of the others which I think was due to it having ten flowers, all of which had to be made separately, and then the ten leaves around the edge. Hence the title of the post.

It was relatively easy to make, just very time consuming. I used a pattern from Ravelry but can no longer find it, there are similar ones on there though. For some reason, despite blocking, I can't quite get it to lie flat as it does in the pictures that came with the pattern. I'm pleased with how it worked out though and have now moved on to a couple of smaller, simpler doilies.

Before I pop off to tackle the humongous washing pile that is threatening to eat all who cross its path, I'd just like to share a pic of my frilly pansies. I can't remember the actual name (duh) but I think they are lovely...

x

Doily Sneak Peek

Hello there. I hope you had a good weekend. As is typical of a UK Bank Holiday Monday the weather here is grey and overcast so still not very good for taking pics. The weathermen predicted sunny spells but I am yet to see any. So I am unable to reveal the finished doily, instead I can only show you a sneak peek that I managed to take a few days ago.....

I hope that you are having better weather. 

x