Sylvies Garden

Audrey - An update....

2011-06-08T12:00:00.000+01:00

Do you remember when I introduced you to Audrey? She was in quite a bad way, extremely dirty and looking rather shabby. Well, after a good clean, some paint and a recovering she is feeling much better and ready to face the world again.

Introducing the new and improved Audrey......

Salford Quays

2011-06-06T19:08:00.000+01:00

I ended up at Salford Quays today. Home to the absolutely fabulous Lowry and soon to be the new home of Coronation Street. I haven't been for around 7 years, even though I love it, so I thought I would take a few pics to share. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera as I wasn't planning to go there so the pics are all taken on my phone. The weather was of course typical for Manchester.....

Audrey

2011-05-16T15:35:00.000+01:00

Hello there, how are you? I hope you are fine and dandy. There hasn't been much crafting going on around here lately, just a bit of crochet here and there. I have been painting the floorboards in the lounge and it has been more of a pain than I thought. Stuff everywhere, paint everywhere and dust everywhere. These things always seem to take longer than anticipated. We have now nearly done one half and are about to move onto the other.

I am also working on a new find. She is called Audrey, I don't know why, she just seemed to be an Audrey. I found her at the car boot. We haven't been to a car boot since last summer but called in at one the other day just as everyone was packing up. I spotted Audrey from afar, ran over (well more of a jog than a run) and knew that she had come home with us. Here she is....

As you can see she is looking rather shabby and not in a chic way. I am currently giving her a new lick of paint and then I will reupholster her so that she can shine in her own special way. Thanks for popping in, I hope you have a great week. x

Oh, I nearly forgot, I'm linking to Sophies blog so if you fancy seeing more thriftiness have a click. Also have a peep at her fabby studio.

Yummyness...

2011-05-01T11:14:00.002+01:00

Hello my dearies, how are you today? Happy May! I can't believe that we are into May and yet this is my first thrifty post of 2011. Well, if truth be told, there has been distinct lack of thrifting around here lately. Lack of funds, escalating charity shop prices and also near empty charity shops have all been a factor. As has the fact that my house is severely lacking in space to add new finds.

However a few days ago I saw some things that I couldn't resist. Not the ever elusive bark cloth, (where is it all?) but almost as fabulous...

How could I resist such gorgeousness? These pics really don't do it justice...

I would love to make a dress from this but due my lack of sewing skills I'll be lucky to manage a skirt.

There were lots of yummy fabrics but I was very calm and only chose a few that I just couldn't resist...

Please excuse the creases.

And finally something that I have been looking for for a long time, a lovely little patchwork quilt....

Not bad, if I do say so myself.

Thank you for dropping by. If you would to see more thrifty finds pop by and see Sophie.

Congratulations William and Catherine!

2011-04-29T15:59:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to William and Catherine.

The wedding ceremony was beautiful, the bride was absolutely stunning.

I feel proud to be British.

I wish them a very long and happy marriage.

Hmmmm...

2011-04-27T16:09:00.000+01:00

I think I may have worked out why we haven't had any nesting birds this year!

Happy Easter

2011-04-23T11:08:00.000+01:00

from a pattern here

much love

Groovy

2011-04-18T20:21:00.000+01:00

Hello my lovelies. I hope that you are all doing fine and dandy. Thank you for the lovely comments on my last post, where I showed you a sneaky peek of latest project.

Regular readers will know of my dislike of the making of blankets. So it may come as a little bit of a surprise when I reveal that the sneak peek was in fact another blanket. The second one so far this year.

When I stumbled upon the pattern for this blanket I knew it would be perfect for me. The reason I don't much like making blankets is that it soon becomes monotonous and I grow bored easily. This blanket prevents the boredom from setting in by breaking it down into different sections. So you start by doing granny squares...

Just as that may start to drag you move on to the shell strip...

followed by dot motifs....

a few stripes...

some flowers...

join it together and add a ripple border...

and you get The Groovyghan!

I loved making this blanket. If you fancy having a go you can find the pattern here.

Thanks for popping in. I hope you have lovely week. Much love.

My Creative Space

2011-04-07T15:30:00.000+01:00

Hello my lovelies. My creative space today is my bed. I'm stuck here due to a particularly nasty bug.

Luckily crochet is something that can be done pretty much anywhere so i'm working on finishing a W.I.P.

I hope to be able to show it to you soon....

For more creative spaces clicky here.

Your knitting and crochet time - 2KCBWDAY7

2011-04-03T13:51:00.000+01:00

Write about your typical crafting time...

The basic ingredients...

A comfy spot....

A bag of yarn...

A nice mug of coffee and some nibbles.....

And a furry friend or two......

I hope you are having a great weekend and a Very Happy Mother's Day.

Thank you so much for joining me for this week of blogging, it's been fun but would have been nothing without you.

Something to aspire to - 2KCBWDAY6

2011-04-02T09:58:00.000+01:00

Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant?

That is the topic for todays post from Knitting and Crochet blog week. A few things came to mind when I read about this topic. As well as learning a few more new stitches I would really love to do a couple of things. One is a Babette blanket and the other is a dress for my littlest one.

Many crochet bloggers have made a Babette blanket and I love them. However I really don't enjoy making blankets. I think it's mainly because of the repetitiveness. Some people love it, I don't. I like to finish projects quite quickly and I'm yet to find a quick blanket. However I LOVE crochet blankets. It was my love of such blankets that made me start crocheting in the first place.

image via here

I don't know what it is that makes me love the Babbette so much but to me it is the Queen of all blankets. I think maybe it is the fact that you can be as colourful as you like and it just works. I also love the size, the bigger the better.I guess this is why I will probably never make one. I could do a small one but it just wouldn't be same, it is the size that makes it fabulous, all those blocks of yummy colour.

image via here

I would also really like to crochet a dress for my littlest one whilst she is still little enough to want to wear dresses. She is a very girlie, girl and loves to wear pretty dresses so I would love for her to have a handmade dress. I cannot sew so crochet would be the best option.

I have an idea of what I would like it look like but cannot find an image or a pattern. I think I might have to write my own so that would also be something quite new. I have done a couple of my own patterns but only really for toys and never for clothes. In fact I haven't made anything wearable at all except for scarves and and a couple of shawls.

Unlike the Babette, I think a dress would be quite manageable. It would have to involve stripes and a few pretty colours, probably a flower somewhere too, but the rest is in the planning stage. I'm thinking of maybe using the Rico cotton?

Do you have any experience in crocheting clothes or can you recommend a good yarn that is washable? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

I hope you have a great weekend.
x

And now for something completely different - 2KCBWDAY5

2011-04-01T09:45:00.000+01:00

Hello, Happy April and Happy April Fool's day.

Today as part of Knit and crochet blog week we were asked to do something a little different. So, to give you a wee break from pictures of crochet I decided to share a little something that a friend of mine shared with me a while ago.

I don't know the author of this piece, sorry. I hope that it brings a smile, maybe a chuckle to your day.....

image via here

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. 'When we were to be married,' she said, 'my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?', 'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls.'

image via here

A Prayer.......

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;

Love to forgive him, and Patience for his moods.

Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death,

because I don't have time to crochet.

Where are they now? 2KCBWDAY4

2011-03-31T12:29:00.000+01:00

Whatever happened to your ?

Today we are supposed to discuss what has happened to a particular project. Being the indecisive person that I am I couldn't decide on just one so I have decided to show what happens in general. This is pretty similar in a way to what happens to my yarn stash. In other words it takes over the house. Not much is given away except for corsages. My Mother wouldn't appreciate a crochet cushion and neither really would my friends. That's ok though, more for me.

So, cushions are used on sofa's, chairs and beds along with blankets. I don't really tend to make projects to go in a specific area. Instead I tend to decide where it will go either during or after making it. Some things have gone into storage such as the multitude of doilies, there are only so many that you can put around the house. Larger projects though are dotted throughout the house.

Along with just a few doilies...

Thank you so much for the comments yesterday. It is so good to know that I am not the only one.

Tidy mind, tidy stitches - 2KCBWDAY3

2011-03-30T12:00:00.000+01:00

How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised?

That is todays topic for discussion. The quick answer to this is.... I don't. If you are a regular reader of this blog you may have noticed that I there is a total lack of pictures of my house. This is because despite my bestest efforts I am UNTIDY. My house seems to reflect my brain, cluttered. Clean but cluttered.

My yarn addiction is out of control. Any kind of bag, cupboard or shelf is seen by me as a good place to keep my yarn. The rest of the family may disagree but if it's there I'll shove yarn onto or into it.

I have tried to be organised. I have a studio where all of my craft materials are meant to be stored. Notice that I said meant? There are huge bags, boxes and baskets in there full of yarn but that hasn't stopped the yarn from taking over the house. You see I have to go outside to get to my studio so if its raining then thats not good. Therefore much of the yarn must be stored in the house. Sometimes I go into the studio, look into my huge stash and find yarn that I totally forgot I had. That's not good is it?

Miu Miu is so embarrassed by the explosion of yarn in the bedroom that she tries to hide it with the curtain.

I would love to be organised but the older I get the more I realize that it just isn't me. I have seen many bloggers who have cupboards or shelves that are dedicated to yarn and they look fabulous. Maybe if I had such a cupboard I could keep my yarn under control, I don't hold out much hope though.

Ps. Thank you for your kind comments. I loved reading about what you would like to learn.

Skill + 1UP – 2KCBWDAY2

2011-03-29T11:49:00.002+01:00

Skill + 1UP – 2KCBWDAY2
Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year.

I was a bit concerned after reading todays topic as I don't really think that I have learnt any new skills over the past year. Instead I think that I have been fine tuning the skills I already have. For example it was around this time last year that I started to work with Japanese crochet patterns. I bought the book Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts - Lacy Crochet and began working on patterns using the diagrams rather than written step by step instructions.

Kyuuto! was a wonderful book for a beginner because it had basic written instructions. The blanket that I made recently was from another Japanese book, this time with no English whatsoever. Although the patterns look daunting at first I now find them easier to follow than written ones. I do still struggle occasionally with small parts that I don't quite understand but so far have been successful in just winging it.

As for the coming year I would like to learn stitches such as the front post double crochet. Every time I come across a pattern that has such stitches I am put off. Maybe this is a touch of laziness on my part because I understand what I am supposed to do but have convinced myself that its too complicated.

I would also like to try some freeform crochet. I had a go once and it was fun so I would like to do some more. It would be good for me to loosen up a bit.

Is there anything that you would like to learn? Or is anything that you think that I should learn? I would really like to hear your thoughts on this.

Much love.
x

Ps. If you are interested in learning to work from diagrams as opposed to written patterns, may I suggest Crochet Adorned by Linda Permann. The reason I would suggest this is because it has written instructions as well as diagrams. It also has information explaining the different symbols. I just wish that I had found it earlier, it could have been very helpful.

A Tale of Two Yarns - 2KCBWDAY1

2011-03-28T09:58:00.001+01:00

Hello my lovelies. Happy Spring! I love Spring, a time of new growth and freshness all around.

Today is day one of the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week. If you fancy joining in just click on the buttony thing in the sidebar and hopefully it will take you to all the details.

The topic for today is A Tale of Two Yarns, in which we are asked to discuss two yarns that we have used and either like or dislike. When I first learnt to crochet I wasn't sure if I would succeed or not so I chose to use acrylic yarn from the local pound shop. It was great for learning with but I soon wanted to try new and more interesting yarns. This is when I went onto using yarn that was mainly natural. Cotton, 100% wool, mohair, angora etc. I tried many brands and didn't have any problems that I can remember.

My favourite of the natural yarns is the merino wool that I used for the Indecisive Project. It is so soft, thick, cozy and snuggly that I just love it. I think it is by Sublime but can't remember the full name of it.

One of problems with natural yarns though is that it can work out to be a wee bit expensive especially for large projects such as blankets. As is the case with a great many households, budgets are being stretched more and more and ours is no exception. So, towards the end of last year I started to look out for cheaper alternatives. Lucy of the wonderful Attic 24 posted that she had been using Stylecraft Special Dk and that she highly recommended it.

I tried it and couldn't believe the difference between the Stylecraft and the acrylic that I had used from the poundshop. The Stylecraft is soft, easy to use and most of all cheap compared to the natural yarns. It also has an abundance of colours to choose from. I have added a few extra colours of other brands of DK that I have spotted while I have been out and about but they are not as soft or easy to crochet with.

The Stylcraft Dk is great for all types of project although I am yet to make anything wearable so I don't how it would hold up for that. An added bonus is that it is washable too, great if you have children and/or animals.

Now, I would like to add that this is only my opinion and that other people may feel completely differently. I would love to hear which yarns you love to work with and maybe any that you don't like much. In future I would like to have a go with some of the Noro yarns that I have seen bloggers using. It looks so soft and yummy... maybe when our budget grows.

Thanks for stopping by, ttfn x

Oooops

2011-03-27T17:20:00.001+01:00

Hello there, if there is anybody still there. I have to apologize for being a bad blogger so far this year. I have no real reason for my lack of posts just that life got in the way as it so often does.
Anyway, in an effort to make it up, I am planning to take part in the 2nd annual knitting and crochet blog week.

If you would like to join in, clicky here for the details.

Pray for Japan

2011-03-18T10:36:00.000Z

Image via You.Are.Beautiful

Thoughts

2011-03-11T10:23:00.000Z

My thoughts today are with the people of Japan.

Happy Hexagons

2011-02-09T12:33:00.000Z

Hello my lovies, how are you today? I hope you are well.

It is very dark and dreary today in my neck of the woods. Not good picture taking weather at all. Luckily the sun came out yesterday and I used the time to take some pics of my recently finished project. I have been longing for colour and brightness to counteract the greyness of winter here in the UK and decided to make a colourful throw. I found a pattern in the same Japanese book that the pattern for the flowers came from.

When I posted about the flowers a couple of you lovely readers asked which book they were from. Now, I am usually very careful about letting you know where I get my ideas and patterns from but for some reason I forgot to say in that post. The book is called PRETTY COLOR CROCHET and KNIT GOODS 2...

And it is available from a lovely seller here.

There are many lovely, colourful patterns in the book and I fell in love with this image...

...and decided that I had to make my own. How could I resist?

I added a white border as I like to have a little bit of white to make the colours pop and here is how it came out...

It's not a very big throw, just a nice size to put over your legs whilst watching tv and doing a bit of crochet. The hexagons are quite easy after you have done the 1st one so it's quite a quick project and a good way to use lots of yummy colours.

If you are having a grey day today I hope that the colours have cheered things up a bit.

Take care, much love.

Stylish?

2011-02-03T14:17:00.001Z

Hello Flowers, I hope that this day finds you well?

A wee while ago I received not one but two Stylish Blogger awards from two oh so lovely ladies, Teje from Nero's Post And Patch and Clara from Clara's Crochet Room. Thank you so much my dears, I feel honoured that you have thought of me.

Now I have to tell you 7 things about me that you don't already know, hmmmm.....

My favourite colour is pink. When I was a child I refused to wear anything other than pink. Now, i rarely wear pink but have lots of it around the house.

My husband is the only male in the house. There's me, my 2 girls, 2 female cats and 2 female dogs. Thats how I get away with so much pink.

I cannot sew. My sewing machine either goes too fast or too slow and refuses to sew where I want it too.

I am terrified of snakes. I can't even look at them in books.

My dream is to drive across America in a VW camper even though I never use motorways in the UK.

source

My favourite artist is David Hockney. I love his attitude to life and art and that he is never afraid to try new things.

source

Ok, ok I admit it! I'm a chocoholic.

..............................

Now I have to pass the award onto 15 bloggers. This is where I began to struggle because this award seems to have been passed on to many of the bloggers that I know. I'm hoping that the bloggers that I am going to pass this onto haven't already received it. So, I would like to pass the award on to the following lovely bloggers....

At Home With MelMel
The Blueberry Patch
Chipper Nelly (and her gorgeous chickens)
Vintage at the Corner House
Green Rabbit Designs
Helen Phillips
Marmalade Rose
Silverpebble
Amanda Makes
Made and Found

That's only ten so I would like to offer it to anybody that reads my blog who fancies taking part.

In other news I am still considering making the rug from the previous post. I need to work out which yarn to use, how big etc.
I hope you have a lovely week, it's almost the weekend so I'm hoping that the weather will behave.
x

Ps. MelMel, blogger won't let me comment your blog. I know not why. x

Crochet Love

2011-01-29T17:37:00.001Z

Hello, thank you for popping in today. I wanted to share with you a couple of images that I have just found in the March issue of Good Homes. I nearly fell off my chair when I turned the page and saw this....

I love the crocheted table in the first picture and the rug in the second. At £250 I'm wondering if I could make one myself?

I also wanted say a huge Thank You for all of the lovely comments that you left on my last post. You truly are a bunch of lovelies and cheered me up no end.

Have a great weekend.

Much love.

I need a kick...

2011-01-17T15:13:00.000Z

Hello there, I hope that this day finds you well?

It is already the 3rd week of the new year and yet this is my 1st post of 2011. For some reason I can't get going this year. I feel like I need a really big kick up the bum to get me started again. I have been trying to do a bit of spring clean around the house but it's a big job and I'm not really getting anywhere. Do you ever feel like this? Maybe it's the weather, it's been very gloomy round here. Lots of rain and grey skies, we have had to have the lights on during the day it's been so bad.

I have a few new crochet items to share but it's been so dark that taking decent pics has been impossible. I did manage to take a couple of pics this morning when the sun briefly peeped from behind the clouds. The lovely hubby bought me a new crochet book for Christmas and one of the 1st things that I made from the book was some lovely flowers. A couple of these have been turned into brooches ready to be posted to the in-laws in Spain as a belated Christmas present.

I'm hoping that the in-laws will like them. I have never sent them anything that I have made before so I'll keep my fingers crossed that they like them.

Meanwhile if anybody knows how I can get my energy levels back up can you please let me know?

Take care my dears.

Thriftiness of 2010

2010-12-31T12:36:00.000Z

Hello my friends. Well it is the last day of 2010 and I am wondering where the time has gone. It seems that as you get older the years start to pass more quickly.

I would like thank all of the people who have followed this blog. When I restarted it I wasn't sure how it would go but I have thoroughly enjoyed it and have loved 'meeting' new friends and discovering so many fabulous blogs out there.

So for my final blog post of the year I would like to share with you some of favourite thrifty finds. I only started thrifting this year and have found and rescued so many wonderful things that it is hard to pick just one favourite.

I would like to wish you all a wonderful New Year and much love, health and happiness in 2011.

Craftiness of 2010

2010-12-29T12:18:00.000Z

Hello my dears, I hope that you are well and that you had a fabulous Christmas. Now it is time to look forward to a shiny New Year and all that it brings.

I thought I would share with you today a mosaic of some of my favourite makes from this year as I look forward to much more craftiness in 2011.....

2010

Can you guess what my favourite colours are?

Much love x

Wishing you...

2010-12-24T10:56:00.000Z

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas from our house to yours!

Much love, Emma.

Quick Catch Up

2010-12-19T16:39:00.001Z

Hello my lovelies. I hope that you are well. Sorry for the lack of posts, we have all been rather poorly. Various viruses and colds have bombarded us all over the past few weeks. Not great timing with so much to do before Christmas, can you believe that it is now less than a week? Blimey, it comes round quickly. I'm still not ready, various gifts are stuck around the country thanks to that white stuff so I have no idea if they will arrive on time. Are you all ready? I hope so.

Anyway whilst I have been laid up on the sofa I have been able to do a wee bit of crochet. I finally managed to get round to making a new cushion for the sofa.....

Just simple Granny squares with a white border.

I have also been making lots of mistletoe and mini wreaths to put on gifts. These were for the girls teachers...

The gift tags can be found here....

And finally I managed to finish the handmade present for my friend. She asked for a butterfly picture like one that I made from wallpaper. Due to the fact that she loves to travel I hunted down a vintage AA road map and cut the butterflies from parts of the country that she loves the most.

I only have one decent picture because I wrapped it up before checking that the pictures were ok. This is the only one that isn't blurred.

I also made an extra one that has bunting. This is cut from the part of the map that shows the area around where she lives. I wonder if she will notice?

Well, that's all for today. Hopefully I will get chance to post again before Christmas. If not I would like to wish you all a Truly Lovely Christmas.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-08T10:47:00.000Z

John Lennon, 1940-1980

Gorgeous Wreath and a Messy Creative Space

2010-12-02T15:34:00.000Z

Hello my dears and Happy December. That snook up and bit me on the bum. I usually have all of my Christmas shopping done by the end of October but not this year. Here we are in December and I am nowhere near done, oh the panic!

This morning it was like Christmas had come early for me. As some of you will already know I was the ever-so-lucky winner of Bunny Mummy's gorgeous wreath giveaway. Jacquie ever so bravely went out in the very deep snow and near Siberian temperatures to post it yesterday and by some miracle it arrived today. It's fabulous and was put up immediately.....

Isn't it fabulous?

Here's a closer look...

I love it, especially the crochet star in the middle. Thank you so much Jacquie!!!

In other news I have a rather messy creative space this week. My friend has asked me to make her and her hubby's Christmas gift this year. As they do quite a lot of travelling I have decided to use maps of their favourite places. I can't show you the finished piece just yet but here is peek at our dining table looking rather messy...

For more creative spaces take a peek at kootoyoo.

Thanks for stopping by. Take care and stay warm

Wordless Wednesday - The White Stuff

2010-12-01T18:26:00.000Z

Take care and stay warm

Amazing Christmas Tree!

2010-11-25T11:22:00.000Z

Hello my lovies. Sorry about the lack of blog posts lately, I seem to be in a bit of a fug. I wanted to pop in today to share something that I saw last night on our local news. I am not a knitter but I love many things that are knitted and this is no exception.

The congregation and community of Saint Johns Church, Meols on the Wirral got together to knit the pieces of this HUGE tree to help raise money for Help For Heroes.

It is fantastic.

Once the tree has been taken down the pieces will be sewn together to make blankets for the homeless so two great causes will be helped by this fab creation. You can go to see it if you are in the area between today and Sunday. For more info clicky here.

I will be back soon with some creativeness of my own. If you are in the UK I hope that you are not snowed in. If you are in the USA I would like to wish you a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

It Took A While...

2010-11-14T18:23:00.000Z

A few weeks ago the oh so lovely Loo of jumblesandpompoms passed the Versatile Blogger Award on to me. Thank you so much lovely Loo, I really, truly appreciate it.

I love Loo's blog to bits so it was a great honour that she passed this onto me.

As part of the award I am to tell you 7 things that you don't know about me. Now, being the shy kind of person that I am, I have been pondering this for a while. I hope that I don't bore you all to death, here goes....

I am allergic to excercise, I have been for as long as I can remember and don't like any sports. When I was at school I used to avoid P.E. by constantly having my period. Having said that I am utterly obsessed by Formula 1. I love it and have been a close follower for the past 5 years.

Despite living in Spain for 2 1/2 years I cannot speak Spanish. My husband is Spanish but he will not teach me because it makes him feel awkward. For some reason the words will not stay in my head and I cannot get my mouth around the pronuncation. I would love to be able to speak a foreign language but my brain will not cooperate.

I learnt to crochet by watching a video on You Tube. I wish that I could find the video as I would love to thank the lady that made it. I had been desperate to learn for a few years but knew nobody that could teach me, the video taught me how to make a granny square and my love of crochet grew from there.

I think that Chris Martin is the most beautiful man in the world.

I have never watched E.T. I was told that it was really sad and upsetting and that was enough. For that same reason I have also never seen Bambi or Watership Down. I have also never watched Star Wars but have no idea why.

Our house is a bit like noahs ark. No, we don't live on a boat unfortunately but we do tend to come in two's. Two adults, two children, two cats and two dogs. Maude, a.k.a. the little brown dog, was actually born on my stomach. We had got Penny (Mum of Maude) the day before from someone that needed to rehome her due to moving abroad. The woman that we bought her from had told us that she was overweight because she ate too many biscuits and chocolates (not a good thing for dogs). I suspected differenetly but fell in love with her as she is such a lovely, gentle little dog and she's great with the girls.

The next night she was lay next me on the sofa but wouldn't settle. My husband and I were getting ready to go up to bed when he noticed that I had what he thought was rat on top me! Of course when he announced this I jumped off the sofa, launching the said rat onto the floor and that is when we discovered that she had given birth to Maude. She then went on to have 3 more gorgeous pups who have all since gone on to great owners.

Maude has never been right after being dropped on her head but we love her and her mum so much. We couldn't believe that someone could sell a pregnant dog and not tell us but it all worked out well in the end.

I hope that you are still awake. I would now like to pass this award on to the following fabby bloggers....

The lovely and super talented Karen at Contemporary Embroidery.

The sweet and inspiring Jane at Teawagon Tales.

The charming and creative Teje and co. of Nero's Post and Patch.

Thanks again Loo!

Angels

2010-11-09T14:18:00.000Z

Hello my dearies. I hope that you are well?

I don't have any thriftiness to share with you this week because I haven't left the house for over a week! I think I may be becoming a hermit or perhaps I am hibernating. I also have no completed crochet as I am still waiting for new wool to arrive so that things can be finished.

I would however like to share a different project that I have been working on. In our house we have a bit of soft spot for angels, after all that is our surname. We like to believe that the angels take care of those that are no longer with us. It helps us to cope.

So in honour of my two little angels (ha ha!) I made them some Christmas angels, complete with bobble hats so that they can keep warm as the temperatures drop.

As you can see one has blonde hair and the other brown, just like my little ones. They haven't seen them yet so I hope they will like them.

My Creative Space - Things

2010-11-04T14:24:00.001Z

Hello my lovelies.

At the minute I have numerous projects on the go. So many things are on my to do list and instead of finishing one and moving onto another I am working on a few at a time. All the while the list is growing and my projects are taking over the house.

In the dining room I am painting furniture.....

In the bedroom and lounge there are bits of crochet projects in various states of completion. Some are nearly finished and others are just begun...

There are things being blocked, things waiting for new yarn so that they can be finished and things that are waiting for a dry day so that they can be photographed. There are also things waiting for drawings to be finished so that they can be put together.

I do have a studio but it's separate from the house and it's cold out there because there is no heating. So I'm hunkering down in the house surrounded by too many things.

What's going on in your creative space? Why not share it on Kootoyoo?

How Could I Resist?

2010-11-01T15:48:00.000Z

Hello my dears. Thank you so much for all of your kind and lovely comments on the Christmas trees. I can say the word now that it's November. Crikey this year has gone fast!

I can only share a few of my thrifty finds this week because the sun will not come out to play and we all know that lack of light makes terrible pics. I found some lovelies this week in charity shops and at the car boot sale.

I am particularly loving this table cloth, still new in its packaging....

How could I resist those mushrooms?

So sweet.

Also sweet is this little dish with duck on it...

Less sweet but very pretty, I found my second piece of Cartlon Ware!

And my favourite find of the week is this oh so sweet knitted Humpty from the 1950's....

How could I resist him?

For more thrifty delights please see Apron Thrift Girls blog.

Thank you for dropping by.

What Became of the Pompoms?

2010-10-27T18:11:00.000+01:00

Hello, my dears. How are you today?

I have been meaning to show you what I was making with the pompoms but the weather had other plans. This morning though the sun was shining and so I was finally able to take the pics.

So without any further waffle, I announce The That Time of Year Trees (I refuse to say Christmas until at least November).....

Now I realise that these are a little unusual and I nearly didn't share them because my mother laughed herself silly at them but if I thought what the heck, no harm in making people laugh is there?

Two Teapots and I Don't Drink Tea

2010-10-25T16:35:00.001+01:00

Hello my dearies, I hope that this day finds you well.

Thank you again for all your lovely comments wishing my little one better. She is now fully recovered and back to driving us mad!

My thrifty finds yet again feature my old friend Meakin, I seem to be quite lucky when it comes to finding their ceramics.

This time I found a pink utility ware teapot....

A 1980 Springwood teapot....

and a casserole dish....

I also found this lovely jug that has no back stamp or markings whatsoever but is a lovely colour and great pattern...

and finally my 1st ever piece of Cartlon Ware!

My mother came this morning and asked if she could have it, she was most disappointed when the answer was no! I was so chuffed when I found it that I couldn't just give it away could I?

Have you found any great finds recently? Please share if you have I love to see what other peeps have found.

I hope you have a great week. If you would like to see more thrifty finds please see Apron Thrift Girl, she has found a great bike!

My Creative Space - Wool and Pompoms

2010-10-21T13:00:00.000+01:00

Hello my lovelies. Thank you so much for all your well wishes for my littlest one, she is now thankfully feeling better but it was very nasty bug that got her.

This week in my creative space I am playing with pompoms and wool. I'm working on something for 'that time of the year' and I hope to be able to show you soon.

For more creative spaces click here.

Take care.

A Few Sweet Things

2010-10-17T11:35:00.001+01:00

Hello my dearies, I hope you are having a great weekend.

I don't have many things to share with you this week because my littlest one is poorly with a nasty virus so not much thrifting has taken place. I do have a few sweet things to share though so lets begin....

A very cute vintage cutlery set that looks like it has never been used...

A handkerchief box complete with (thankfully) unused vintage hankies, I really love this box...

And a lovely little tin, I love the colours!

I hope that you have a great week and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

For more lovely finds go and see Sophie and Apron Thrift Girl.

Crochet Bunting and a Thank You

2010-10-13T13:48:00.000+01:00

Hello, I hope that this day finds you well. First I would like to thank all of my lovely followers and all of the people who take the time to leave lovely comments. It is very much appreciated and really makes my day. You have all been so kind and welcoming.

This week I have had four projects on the go. I know not why I have done this as all I am doing is confusing myself. I used to start a project and then see it through to end before starting another but I appear to have turned into a bit of a fidget. In an effort to control myself I made myself finish one project, so now I am down to three.

The finished project has been influenced by many people around the blogosphere who have been making bunting. I already have three sets of crochet bunting and various types of crocheted garlands but decided that I really did need another.

My main influences for this granny style bunting have been Michelle at The Royal Sisters, Jacquie at Bunny Mummy and Alice at Crochet With Raymond. Thank you so much ladies!!!!

One thing that I don't remember anybody mentioning is that it is sooooooooo difficult to take photos of bunting. Perhaps it's just me but unless you have tons and tons of space then is nigh impossible to take decent pics.

I'm now hoping to finish the other projects so that I can share those soon.

I hope that you have a good day.

Meakin and Other Thrifty Bits

2010-10-11T13:33:00.000+01:00

Hello there, how are you? I hope you have had a great weekend. For once we have had a dry weekend here, yay I managed to do all of my washing.

Now that it is Monday again I thought I would share some more of my thrifty finds. I had been trying steer clear of thrifting in an effort to save some pennies but it seems that cold turkey didn't work and so last week I had a little slip, oooops. I didn't spend too much really but I spent more than I should have. I will have to try harder this week.

Last weeks finds include this beautiful Meakin bowl

Another Meakin bowl (I love a bit of Meakin)

A Meakin jug, I told you I love Meakin

A Woods Ware bowl

Some lovely Pyrex dishes

A Hornsea dog and turtle that I couldn't resist

And last but by no means least an unused Barratts of Staffordshire tea set.

Have been lucky in your thrifting adventures?

To see what other lucky peeps have found go and see Sophie or Apron Thrift Girl.

Happy Birthday John

2010-10-09T18:27:00.000+01:00

Happy 70th Birthday John Lennon.

My Creative Space - A New Footstool is Born

2010-10-07T12:01:00.002+01:00

Hello my lovelies, how are you?

A while ago I found a vintage footstool in the local charity shop for £2. Not one to pass up on a bargain I brought it home and it was immediately fought over by the girls, the eldest one won as the youngest already has her own stool. Now although I love the shape and design of the stool I do not love navy blue. I apologise to anybody out there who may be a fan of navy blue but after spending 5 years of my younger life wearing as much navy nylon as they could cram into a school uniform, including knee length socks and big knickers, it's no wonder I'm not a fan.

After much deliberation it was decided that a cover would be made. I didn't want to take off the original upholstery for fear of ruining the integrity and so a removable (and therefore washable and more child friendly) cover was the way to go. As I am terrible at sewing it had to be a crochet footstool cover and so new footstool was born..............

I'm not entirely convinced that the choice of predominantly white yarn was a good idea but I live in hope.

I'm now hoping that I can hang out my washing without it starting to rain the minute that I close the door. Wish me luck.

For more creativity go see Kootoyoo.

Edited to add that this has also been linked to ANNEMARIE'S BREIBLOG

When Typewriters Are Like Buses

2010-10-04T12:58:00.001+01:00

Hello my dears, I hope that the day is finding you well. We have a strange phenomenon here today, it's sunny! I hope it's the same where you are.

This week I'm going to share with you some of my finds from over the summer. I have a mental list of things that I and the family should look out for. I did have a written list but of course it got lost. Anyhow one of the things at the top of said list is a vintage typewriter. I love letters that have been typewritten and I know you can do similar on a PC but it's just not the same. So for months we were on the lookout but either didn't find any or when we did the seller would be asking ridiculous amounts of money.

Over the summer however we struck lucky. We decided to go to a town that we had never been to before and lo and behold there in a lovely charity shop we unearthed not one typewriter but TWO! Oh the excitement, we were chuffed to bits. The following week we went back again and you wouldn't believe it but yes, there was another one. So now we have not one typewriter but three!

Around here we have a saying that goes something like..... You wait ages for a bus then three come along all at once. That is what happened us with these lovelies......

Have found any great items lately?

For more thrifty finds call and see Her Library Adventures and Apron Thrift Girl.

My Creative Space - Many Ends Make Much Work

2010-09-30T10:03:00.000+01:00

Although I always aim to fasten in the ends as I go along it doesn't always happen as planned. My creative space today is all about fastening in those ends. Not a job that I love but one that is necessary.

I hope that you are having more fun.

For more creative spaces pop here.

Wordless Wednesday - Enid Love

2010-09-29T10:54:00.000+01:00

Rose Coloured Glass

2010-09-27T11:59:00.001+01:00

Hello there. I hope that you have had a good weekend.

This week I am only going to be sharing one thrifty find as I think that she deserves a post all of her own. She is one of my most favourite finds of all time and I thought it only fitting that she should hog the limelight.

I found her in the window of a local charity shop and I was immediately smitten. She was however a little more expensive than my usual finds and so she wasn't snapped up immediately. I have to admit that I actually left her at first whilst I explored other shops. I couldn't stop thinking about her though and so my hubby insisted that we go back and take her home because I loved her so much. It was indeed a good job that we went back for her when we did because as my dear Hubby was waiting to pay two women said that they too had come back to buy her.

Now the problem is that I have been unable to find out anything about her. She has no makers mark and her bottom only says Czechoslovakia. So, I was wondering, if anybody out there may know a little about her? If so I would be eternally grateful if you could share your knowledge no matter how small.

Now without further ado here she is....

May I just add that she is more of a rose colour than is showing in these pics. The light is particularly bad today.

For more thriftiness please call and see the many other bloggers at Her Library Adventures , Southern Hospitality and Apron Thrift Girl.

My Creative Space - Too Many W.I.P.s

2010-09-23T11:33:00.000+01:00

Hello my dears, How are you? I hope you are well.

This week my creative space is full of W.I.P.s. I have so many things to finish that its actually really off putting. I have boxes full of flowers that need to be made into something but I have no idea where to start. This is just a small selection...

I'm also waiting for some new wool so that I can start a new project. Will I never learn?

Kirsty is on holiday at the mo but if you would like to see some creative spaces from the past clicky here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Wordless Wednesday - Hello Autumn

2010-09-22T14:04:00.000+01:00

Thrifty Bits

2010-09-19T12:39:00.001+01:00

Hello, I hope that you are having a good weekend.

My thrifting has been a wee bit on and off recently. I haven't been to the Car Boot Sale for a couple of weeks because it has been cold and rainy and that means that many of the sellers stay away.

So instead I have a few things to share with you that I found over the summer. I do have lots more but the greyness that has surrounded us around here is making it rather difficult to take any good pics. I would like to apologise in advance if a couple of these are a wee bit blurry, I did my best.

This sweet little book with the inscription - Catherine, with love, 1925.

A Sylko thread box complete with threads.

A gorgeous Simplicity pattern for making adorable animals. I really do wish that I could sew well.

Two teacups, sadly missing their saucers. I love the forget me nots.

And this little pink flower dish.

Hopefully during the week the sun might show its lovely face and I will be able to take some more pics.

For more thriftyness call into Sophies.

Edited to add that I have also linked to Thrift Share Monday

and Southern Hospitality.

My Creative Space

2010-09-16T18:34:00.000+01:00

Hello my dears, I hope today finds you well.

I've decided to share my creative space with you today and hopefully make it a regular thing. I've been making quite a few different crochet motifs to try to find the right one. Here are a few pics...

and this was my little helper...

Miss Plum Plum.

For more creative spaces call in at Kirsty's.

The Indecisive Project

2010-09-14T12:16:00.000+01:00

Hello there. I hope that today finds you well. It is very wet here, in fact it has not stopped pouring down since I got up. Not good weather for taking pics!

So, what have I been up to? Well despite being run ragged by the girls over the summer I did manage to get a few things done. You may remember this post back in June when I had bought the softest of merino wool but didn't really have a plan for it. For most of the project I had no plan whatsoever, I just kept going and hoped that something would come to me. It got to a good cushion size but I decided to carry on, it got to floor cushion size and still I carried on. I considered making it into a footstool cover but then decided to carry on.

It eventually became a cross between a shawl and a throw. I can wrap it around me to keep out the cold, it can be used a throw on a chair or as a lovely, soft lap blanket. I did warn you that I can be indecisive! Anyway here it is, the shawl/throw....

The yarn is so soft and snuggly. I'm hoping it will keep me toasty warm around the house this winter.

I'm currently making over a few bits of furniture. Some I think will be more successful than others. I will take some pics as soon as the light improves.

Take care.

Lost!

2010-09-09T14:16:00.001+01:00

Hello there. I am so sorry about the lack of blogging. Having the girls at home all summer made things a little hectic around here and unfortunately the blog was the one to suffer. I do hope that I have still have some readers left out there.

My eldest started high school last Thursday which was a wee bit scary for me. She was fine, excited rather than nervous. I was terrified though. She had never been on a bus alone before and I was worried that she would get lost or kidnapped (I have a tendency to over exaggerate). I have been quite protective of her as she has had a lot of upheaval in her life and so going to high school was a big step for me.

Luckily though she is loving it. The older pupils have all been really helpful and nice. The bus driver is lovely and she didn't get lost. I'm really lucky that she is such a good kid and that we managed to get her into a good school. She is very sensitive and I was worried that she might be teased for that but so far so good.

This morning my littlest one started primary school and I was ok with that until I got home and then I just felt lost. Last year she was at preschool so she started at 9 and finished at 11.30. That gave me time to come home, have a coffee, tidy up and then go to pick her up. A full school day is just a little odd. I want to know how she is doing and if she has made new friends. I just want to know that she is ok. I suppose I will just have to get used to it, it just might take a while.

I will be back to normal blogging soon. I just need to get used to my new found freedom and hopefully stop feeling so lost.

Take care x

Wordless Wednesday - It's A Hard Life!

2010-08-25T16:20:00.000+01:00

Family Day Out

2010-08-19T13:12:00.000+01:00

Hello there, I am so sorry that I have been away for a while. It wasn't planned, I got a wee bit bogged down with summer holidays and life and found myself with no time to blog.

The girls have still got two weeks left of the hols and as much as I love them and love having them around they do nothing but bicker and fight. I know there is a big age gap, 7 years, but I still think that they should get along better.

In an effort to entertain them and stop the bickering my friend and I took them for a day out. The plan was to go to Chester Zoo and to take a nice picnic with us. The weather however was against us, as we got closer to the the zoo the very large black clouds grew larger and more menacing. As we got to about 5 miles away the heavens opened and it rained buckets.

Ever the optimists we arrived at the zoo and decided to try to sit it out by having a drink and a picnic in the car (not how we planned it) but the rain persisted so it was time for plan B.

Swimming with sharks!!!!

Brave aren't we?

Look at those teeth!!

Only kidding, we actually went to the Blue Planet Aquarium and walked the amazing tunnel where the sharks were swimming over our heads. Thankfully my littlest one wasn't afraid of the sharks, she did however get very scared of a photograph of a Piranha! This meant that she spent that part of trip clinging onto me very tightly making it impossible for me to take piranha pics.

Here are some of the other creatures that we saw....

Ducks

Plenty of fish

I liked this chap.

This guy didn't move for the whole time that we were there.

Strange fish eggs, you could see them moving inside.

Camera shy shark

Snakes, my biggest fear, I was very brave.

This one wouldn't show his face.

The oh so cute Otters that make really sweet squeaky noises.

And finally, the jellyfish. I found these guys so fascinating they were really quite magical.

If you have made it this far then Thank you! A great day was had by all and not one argument was had between the girls!

I will try to blog again soon, if not normal blogging will resume in September. Take care peeps and I hope you have a good summer.

C'est Fini !!!!!

2010-08-06T12:39:00.000+01:00

Hello, how are you today? I hope that you have had a good week.

I managed to finish the blanket!!!! Yeah!!!! It wasn't too bad really perhaps because it is quite small. Ok, so I did start to get a little bit frustrated about 3/4 of the way through but I persevered. I was determined to complete it instead of putting it down and forgetting about it.

It made my admiration for the many people out there who make many blankets grow even stronger. I do so love a crochet blanket but do not love the amount of time that they take to make.

Anyhoo, here it is, I still would like to add a couple of doilies but I am just so glad that the blanket part is done....

I now need to wash it and hope that it will soften up a wee bit. Then I will add the doilies.

I hope you have a good weekend, see you soon.

This week and last

2010-08-01T17:59:00.000+01:00

Hello my dears, I hope you are well.

If you read last weeks post then you will know that the weather has been rather dire around here and has made it difficult to for me take any pictures of my thrifty finds. So for this weeks post I have picked the best of the finds from this week and last to put into one post. So without further ado....

I love the design on this Midwinter Stylecraft plate.

A retro tea set, again I love the design.

A Hornsea Pottery tea pot, I haven't seen this design before but will be looking out for more.

A chintzy saucer and embroidered tablecloth.

A wee Sadler teapot.

Another great design on this toffee tin. Such cute Poodles! Would you take the sticker off?

Some retro bedding that reminds me of when I was little.

A Meakin coffee pot to add to my collection.

Some pretty glassware.

And finally these sweet little row houses.

Hopefully the weather will pick up this week as we are now in the second week of the school holidays and haven't really been able to do much.

I hope that you have an interesting and thrifty week. To see what other people have found please go to see Sophie.

I once said never again but...

2010-07-30T13:53:00.000+01:00

Hello, I hope this day finds you well.

After last weeks pottering I decided that it was time to make something proper again. I swore that I would never make a blanket again because I get part way through and then they start to drive me mad. I prefer quicker projects that take a day or maybe two. However I had a quite a bit of yarn that I didn't know what to do with and decided that I would venture into the world of blanket making yet again.

I considered making a Lucy style blanket but knew that I didn't really have the patience so instead I opted for the smaller and perhaps more manageable ordinarily extraordinary blanket by the super duper Dottie Angel. I am now past half way and I have to admit that a little boredom and frustration is setting in. I am determined to finish it though. Here it is in progress, I haven't used Dottie's method of joining because I couldn't get my head around it and it just didn't look right so I shall have to invent a way of joining at the end.

I hope that you have a good weekend. The rain is still persisting in these parts so I hope that you have better weather than us.

Rosa and the Butterflies

2010-07-27T19:47:00.000+01:00

Hello there, I hope you are well. Sorry for the delay in posting but the weather has been a shocker around these parts making it impossible to take photos. Anyway better late than never I hope.

I had quite a good week last week on the thrifting front, a few good finds.I will share them with you once the weather picks up. Today though I wanted to share with you two of my favourites, both of which are from the car boot.

The first is a print that I fell in love with. I have named her Rosa because I have no idea who she really is, I shall have to investigate to see what I can discover. She reminds me of Pride and Prejudice, romantic, wistful and a little frail. All I need now is Colin Firth.....

Isn't she beautiful?

My second treasure is also a picture of sorts. I don't usually find nice pictures, it's usually frames that I buy to 'do up'. This one is maybe something that many people would find distasteful, my daughter and hubby included. I also find it a little distasteful but at the same time fascinating and beautiful. I also wonder where they might end up if I hadn't bought them? In tip somewhere rotting away and wasted. Who knows?

Anyway I brought them home and much to daughters disgust they are now hanging over the tv, here are my lovely butterflies....

I love them, even if it does mean that 'I have dead things looking at me'.

I hope that you have a good week. For more thriftiness drop by Sophies.

Pottering

2010-07-22T13:35:00.000+01:00

Hello there, I hope that you are well today.

I haven't really got much to show for myself this week. I can't seem to really get going on anything but I don't know why. Maybe it's the heat, or the rain, I don't know. I have been trying to sort out the studio but I need storage as I have so much stuff. In fact I amazed myself with how much stuff I have especially seeing as it has all been accumulated in the past three years! When we moved back to the UK from Spain I only had a few bits and pieces so in three years it has grown and grown and has been taking over the entire house.

In between trying to sort out the craft supplies I have done a little bit of crochet but nothing really significant, a bit of crochet pottering really. I decided that I would try making a doily using chunkier wool. Instead of a size 3 hook and skinny cotton I used a size 7 and some chunky cotton. It worked out quite well but I would really like to try to super thick yarn and maybe a size 12 hook to make a rug.

I also found this lovely pattern for butterflies so of course I had to make a few. They are good for a quick little project although I'm not sure yet what I will do with them. Maybe a mobile.

A couple of coasters from this pattern...

And a heart from this pattern. This is a pattern that I found rather complicated and nearly gave up on a couple of times but I'm glad that I persisted.

I hope that you are having a craftier week that me. Take care.

Goody Goodies

2010-07-18T13:53:00.000+01:00

Hello, how are you? I hope you are having a good weekend. The damp, greyness has returned to the UK with a vengeance!

I've done quite well at the charity shops and car boot this week. At the beginning of the week I found a mid century foot stool in great condition for £2! Then on Friday I found some really old shelves for £5, I haven't been able to photograph them yet but I will when things brighten up a bit.

Also from the charity shop I found a set of 4 Pyrex cups and saucers for £1.30....

The following goodies were found at the boot sale this morning...

An old first aid tin...

Vintage thread spools and buttons, I love the card on the buttons...

An old pin tin that I bought without looking inside. When I got home I realised it was full of old needle packages some from the 1930's...

Pinking shears. The box says 'Inseparable from your hand as your friend'...

This sweet little dish...

A pair of candlesticks...

and two glass jars.

As usual for more thrifty finds pop round to Sophies.

Thanks for stopping by, take care x

Before and after...

2010-07-15T10:57:00.000+01:00

Hello. There hasn't much crafting going on around here lately. My eldest is still very poorly, she picked the worst time really because it is her last week at Primary School before starting High School in September. She is getting better slowly though.

I have only done a little bit of crochet as I can't seem to really get going on anything. I have done a couple of makeovers though and this one is my favourite at the minute. I found this little cabinet in the local charity shop for £1. It had a few bits missing and was a bit wobbly but I was up for the challenge.

Here is the before....

And here, after a few coats of paint and a bit of wallpaper is my new little cabinet....

I used some wooden beads on the top to replace the missing parts and an earring instead of a doorknob. I haven't yet decided where it will go or even what it will be used for but I am quite impressed by how it turned out.

Take care.

Mirror, Mirror

2010-07-12T12:41:00.001+01:00

Hello, I hope you had a good weekend.

There has been very little thrifting around here in the past week. We couldn't make it to the car boot sale because my eldest little one has been struck down with a very nasty bout of tonsillitis (I hope you get better soon, honey).

The only thing that I have bought came from the local charity shop and cost a total of £2, bargain! It is this lovely old mirror that is in perfect condition apart from a couple of small scratches..........

It is incredibly difficult to take a picture of a mirror, so I can only show you this one. For more thrifiness drop by Sophie's.

x

Edit - Also check out even more thriftyness at southernhospitalityblog. x

Frame Chalkborad

2010-07-09T15:18:00.000+01:00

Hello, how are you? I hope that you are well.

I wanted to share with you today a recently completed makeover. Last year I bought a frame in a charity shop for £2 with the intention of findings a use for it. However, as is the case with many of projects, I forgot about the frame and it was left languishing in the under stairs cupboard.

With the 'studio' makeover I decided that I would need a new chalkboard and after a little pondering I decided that the frame would be the right size. Not too big and not too small. I used a tester pot of paint that I had bought recently and some chalkboard paint that I have had for a while.

This is the frame before....

As you can see it is a little old fashioned...

and this is the frame after....

I added a wee doily and some stick on lace.

Here is a close up...

Now all I need is some chalk, oh and the 'studio' to be finished.

I hope you have a good weekend and if you are in the UK keep cool.

Slim Pickings

2010-07-06T14:53:00.000+01:00

Hello there, I hope that you are having a good week. I'm a bit late with this weeks thrifty post. I usually post my finds on a Monday but yesterday was spent at school inductions. My youngest will be staring Primary School in September and my eldest will be starting High School. I had to attend two inductions at the seperate schools which left no time for blogging.

So back to business, what did I discover last week? Well not much really compared to normal. It's slim pickings around here at the moment. Here are a few of things I did manage to find....

A pretty hand embroidered mirror...

Some lovely little earrings...

A couple of plates, I was particularly drawn to the shape of this one...

A frame ready for a makeover...

Some lovely black lace...

Lots of doilies...

And this little chap with a rather grumpy face.

I also managed to find a couple of chairs that will be madeover but I haven'y had a chance to photograph them yet.

For more thriftiness go to Sophie's blog.

Flower Pattern

2010-07-04T15:24:00.000+01:00

Hello there. This is just a quick post. A couple of people have asked if I have the pattern for the flowers. Unfortunately I am an extraordinarily disorganised person and I cannot find it. I could attempt to write it out but I think that my pattern writing skills would drive you mad so I have found a very similar pattern on Ravelry. I haven't tried it yet but it does look almost the same.

Flower Garland

2010-07-02T13:10:00.000+01:00

Hello there, Happy Friday! I hope you are well.

I haven't been up to much this week, the weather is hot and sticky but not sunny. It's cloudy, rainy and muggy. Not nice. I don't mind the heat when it's sunny but this is not nice and it's affecting my creativity.

I have made a small flower garland though that will go in my 'studio' when/if it gets finished. I struggled to take photos of it because of the weather but here is what I did manage....

I hope you have a good weekend.

Crochet Edging

2010-06-28T12:56:00.000+01:00

Crikey! Two posts in one day, what's going on? The sun must have gone to my head!

A couple of weeks ago I bought some very tired looking shelves from the car boot sale. They were obviously hand made and for some reason the person that built them put the shelves on slightly unevenly. After I had painted them (pink, of course) I was bothered by this wonkiness and decided that a bit of edging was in order.

I hunted high and low on the internet looking for something that I could either make or buy but came up with nothing. However, whilst doing a bit of blog hopping, I found this delightful blog by a lovely lady called Isobel. I then spent rather a long time looking through her blog and came across this.....

photo by Isobel

Isn't it pretty? It was exactly what I needed. Perfect. I sent a message to Isobel asking if I could please borrow her idea and she very kindly said yes.

Here is what I came up with...

It not only hides the wonky shelf but adds a bit of colour too. Thank you so much Isobel for allowing to me to copy your idea. I now need to make some more for the lower shelves which are also wonky.

Please pop round to Isobel's blog if you don't already know it, it is full of lovely goodness.

Thrifty Finds

2010-06-28T12:08:00.000+01:00

Hello, I hope that you are doing well.

Last week I didn't manage to get to any charity shops at all for a variety of reasons. I did however manage to drag myself out of bed yesterday for the car boot sale and I'm so glad that I did. Here are just some of the treasures that I found....

Two kitsch and cute West Highland Terriers. They need a bit of work but I couldn't leave them behind.

A Hornsea Pottery milk jug for 50p!

A Hornsea Pottery sugar jar.

A hand painted jug.

A mushroom for darning.

Some more pretty plates.

Vintage tins.

A vanity case.

And two old wedding photos. I always think it is a shame that these have been separated from their owners.

Not a bad haul really. I hope that you have a good week.

For more thriftiness and a peek at a beautiful jug pop round to Sophie's.

Bedside Table Makeover

2010-06-25T15:26:00.000+01:00

Good afternoon, I hope that you are well. I wanted to share a little makeover project with you today.

A couple of weeks ago the Mr was passing our local charity shop when he noticed this for sale for £1.....

Without much thought he snapped it up and brought it home for me. At first glance I wasn't sure that actually liked it but for £1 I thought it was worth considering. After a bit of umming and ahhing I decided to try giving it a lick of paint and I'm so glad that I did.

After three coats of pink paint I ended with the perfect little bedside table for the littlest one. She only has a small room so it worked out perfectly....

Seems like the Mr has a good eye for a thrifty bargain!

African Flower Cushion

2010-06-22T13:33:00.000+01:00

Hello, how are you? I hope that you are well.

It has been really rather warm and sunny in these parts recently which is a lovely change. I have been working on African Flowers after seeing and and admiring them in blogland. The pattern that I used came from the lovely Elizabeth Cat who has set up a flickr group to show not only her own beautiful creations but also those of others.

Another great source of inspiration for the flowers can be found at Suz's blog where she has created bags, cuchions and blankets using this lovely motif.

My first two african flowers have been used to create a new cushion because some of cushions were looking a bit old and tired. I hope that you like it.

Now I'm off to help the Mr. as we try to sort out my studio. Wish me luck.

I hope you have a good day.
x

Fathers Day Finds

2010-06-20T18:56:00.000+01:00

Hello and Happy Fathers Day. My own Dad passed away 9 years ago but I would still like to say Hello to him. I know he is there is somewhere. Also Happy Fathers Day to my Mr, he is a great Dad and we all love him lots. Even though it's Fathers day he still wanted to get up at the crack of dawn and go to the car boot sale. Bless him.

Here are some of the delights that we found...

A pretty little bowl.

A lovely oval dish.

Another coffee pot to add to my little but ever growing collection.

Some wee glasses in fresh colours.

Six Studio Meakin cups and saucers with a milk jug.

And this fabby vase.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope that you have a good week.

For more great finds call round to Sophie's...

Homophobia

2010-06-18T10:21:00.000+01:00

I came across this today on Yvonne's blog, Today I Love. It originally came from this blog. I am reposting it here because I find it appalling that things like this are still happening. I don't normally repost from other peoples blogs but this was too upsetting for me and I felt as though I couldn't just ignore it....

Homophobia

I am the mother who is not allowed to even visit the children I bore, nursed, and raised. The court says I am an unfit mother because I now live with another woman.

I am the boy who never finished high school, because I got called a fag everyday

I am the girl kicked out of her home because I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian.

I am the one working the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman.

I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights.

We are the parents who buried our daughter long before her time.

I am the man who died alone in the hospital because they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room.

I am the foster child who wakes up with nightmares of being taken away from the two fathers who are the only loving family I have ever had. I wish they could adopt me.

I am not one of the lucky ones. I killed myself just weeks before graduating high school. It was simply too much to bear.

We are the couple who had the realtor hang up on us when she found out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for two men.

I am the person who never knows which bathroom I should use if I want to avoid getting the management called on me.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who found the support system grow suddenly cold and distant when they found out my abusive partner is also a woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male.

I am the father who has never hugged his son because I grew up afraid to show affection to other men.

I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that.

I am the woman who died when the EMTs stopped treating me as soon as they realized I was transsexual.

I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didn’t have to always deal with society hating me.

I am the man who stopped attending church, not because I don’t believe, but because they closed their doors to my kind.

I am a warrior for my country serving proud, but can’t be my true self because gays aren’t allowed in the military.

I am the person who has to hide what this world needs most, love.

I am the person ashamed to tell my own friends I’m a lesbian, because they constantly make fun of them.

I am the who isn’t sure what she is. I am the who is rejected by her “best friends” because of a less-than-conventional crush.

I am the boy tied to a fence, beaten to a bloody pulp and left to die because two straight men wanted to “teach me a lesson.”

This is the boy, Matthew Shepard. On October 7, 1998 Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson lead him to a remote area east of Laramie where they demonstrated unimaginable acts of brutality . Matthew was tied to a split-rail fence where he was beaten and left to die in the cold of the night. Almost 18 hours later he was found by a cyclist who initially mistook him for a scarecrow. Matthew died on October 12 at 12:53 am at a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Murdered because he was gay.

If you believe that homophobia is wrong, then reblog this.

If you are ignorant, then ignore this.

Button Jars

2010-06-17T09:52:00.000+01:00

Hello, I hope that are you fine and dandy.

The sun has arrived here in the deepest, darkest depths of Lancashire, a rare occurrence indeed. This means that I have been spending more time in the garden than I have crafting. I have done a few wee bits of crochet though such as adding a few more circles to the blanket/cushion and starting on an African Flower. I also organised my buttons into colour combinations so that it would be easier to find a certain colour.

After organising the buttons I felt that the jars needed a little perking up so I made them some 'hats'......

I hope you have a sunny and crafty day.

More thrifting...

2010-06-14T12:55:00.000+01:00

Hello, I hope that you are well.

This weeks thrifty finds are a combination of car boot and thrift shop treasures. There seems to be a little bit of a colour theme coming through this week. It wasn't done on purpose, I only realised when I was photographing them.....

A jelly/blancmange mould...

It's years since I have had blancmange.

A lovely vintage tin that originally came with biscuits....

A set of side plates, some with cornflowers and some with forget me nots...

A lovely hand embroidered tablecloth...

Very old looking clogs with flowers on them...

A pretty plate with Australian Flowers...

A pretty lemon coloured bowl...

A sweet little deer and another pretty bowl...

A vintage biscuit tin, I love the pattern...

And some vintage threads. The purple one is such a lovely colour. The bottom ones were used for darning stockings (I don't envy anyone who did that!).

Did you notice that many of the items are blues, greens and yellows? I seem to have been drawn to those colours this week.

For more vintage finds pop round to see the delightful Sophie.

Going Round in Circles

2010-06-10T15:10:00.000+01:00

Hello there. Are you well?

I can't seem to get going on anything this week, it was the same last week. I have so much that needs to be done but can't seem to get going. Does that happen to you?

Our house desperately needs a good dose of organisation and de-cluttering. My craft bits are all over the place and it is starting to drive me mad as I can never find anything. There are boxes and supplies in almost every room, falling out of cupboards and bags. I have a "studio" but at the moment it is used for storage and a spider house (there are hundred's). It needs to be emptied out and then painted but I can't do it by myself so I have to wait until the Mr has some time off. Once that is done I can reorganise the house but until then I feel like I am going round in circles.

On the craft front I haven't done much either. I am working on a small project at the minute with some truly lovely merino wool. I don't yet know what it will become, I would love to be able to make blanket because it is a thick, soft and oh so comfy yarn but I know form experience that blankets are not my thing. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE crochet blankets, but I don't have the patience and get fed up too easily. It will more than likely end us as a cushion cover.

Car Booty

2010-06-07T13:27:00.000+01:00

Hello there. I hope that you have had a good weekend. Sorry for the lack of posts in the past week or so, things have been rather chaotic around here but hopefully we are back to normal now.

This week I didn't have much luck with the charity shops so I decided to bite the bullet and do something that I have never done before. I went to a car boot sale! In all my years on this planet (all thirtyodd of them) I have never been to a car boot sale. I now know what I have been missing. I can't believe that with my love of vintage and thrifted items I have never been!

We went armed with a list of "things to look out for" so that everybody knew what to keep an eye out for. The list wasn't very helpful because we only found one or two things off it but we did have a good time and came home with lots of goodies.

Here are just a few....

A beautiful hand embroidered antimacassar which needs a good wash but I'm scared it may not survive.....

a fabulous bashed old suitcase......

a whole set of six cups and saucers, with side plates, sugar bowl and milk jug....

three small glass bottles....

yet another plate.....

a little floral vase....

a 1970's ornament that looks just like my littlest one...

and this chap who I absolutely fell in love with....

Thanks for stopping by. For many more thrifty finds pop round to Sophies

What Home Means to Me

2010-05-26T11:07:00.000+01:00

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.

Flowers

2010-05-25T12:10:00.000+01:00

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.

Thrifty Finds

2010-05-24T15:00:00.000+01:00

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....

Sunflower Sneak Peek

2010-05-19T12:01:00.000+01:00

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.

Doilyfication

2010-05-17T15:37:00.000+01:00

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.