Pro's and Con's

Good Morning.....

If you are reading this in the UK...I hope you are not being battered to badly by the stormy weather...its chucking it down here!!

its such a shock to the system after the lovely crispy, frosty mornings...and it got me thinking about the pro's and con's of the winter...as you know I adore the Autumn and Winter...but there are some not so nice bits!...the field which we play ball with Puppy Dog on twice every day...is at the moment like a muddy rugby pitch...she comes home covered in mud from head to toe...but is a very happy puppy as playing ball is everything!!! So she has to be showered each time...she's very good just jumps into the bath...but oh its back breaking, not to mention the muddy wet towels and the mud splashes up the walls when we've been unable to stop a shake....and that got me thinking how much I dislike this part of winter...but when I started thinking what else I didn't like...the list wasn't very long...it really was just dog showering, muddy wet towels and having to have the heating on and using too much power hahaha....the things I love...such as the cold (I quite like being cold and getting snuggly warm again) the frosty mornings, the clear crisp skies, candles lit in the house, a roaring fire, snuggly blankets and my favourite...Christmas on the horizon! I even quite like the trees this time of year...I know they are bare...but the branches are beautiful I think...and they stand so majestic against the wind...and you can see what's been hidden, they tell a little story of who as nested there this year :)

I have been having a little search through my photos and I don't think I shared with you one of favourite purchases during our holidays this year....

not the chicken egg cup you've seen those before...but the egg! I like to use the egg cups as display and used to put fresh eggs in them...but I always forgot to use them up...but whilst on holiday I spied these in the National Trust Shop...I think they were a toy, they are rubber and I think they bounce...but they are so realistic and look just the part on the kitchen counter :)

So what crafty things have I been up to since my last post...

I've finished off a lovely pullover/poncho for the lovely little Freya...I so enjoyed doing this as its the first ever garment I have made...crocheted with chunky wool so its so lovely and warm :)

I've got two blankets on the go at the moment...the one is very boring to do...lots of small squares but I'm getting there 😁

I found this in the charity shop...I wasn't sure what it was at first and they didn't know either...but it was cast iron and only £1.50...so home it came with me 😀 after a bit of an internet search it turns out that its a spice rack...easy to see once you know...it had a little facelift and I've used it as a little seasonal display piece...

My favourite thing I have been doing is this....

I have been so inspired by the pictures on Pinterest of little red trucks in the snow with a tree on the back that I thought I would make some decorations of my own...some trucks from the charity shop...a tin of enamel paint and mini bottle brush Christmas trees and this was the result...I even made some little mini wreaths from clay...

I've now got the bug though....this is the latest convoy in waiting....😆

I'm hopefully going to do something like this with some of them....

I found this image on Pinterest...isn't it just so cute!!

I have another half finished project also...

a pile of wood I hear you say...yep it is at the moment and it has had one coat of paint so far...this is what has inspired me....

I just loved this idea...and it will be perfect to use at Christmas...I have limited counter space for a buffet so this will be perfect! Just hope mine turns out a lovely as this one...

There's a couple more photos from Pinterest which have caught my eye this week...

love this idea...

and a little stocking tree for those who don't have a fireplace or mantle...

So my next post...will be very Christmassy....well I reckon come December Christmas is fair game hahaha...

I received a very lovely parcel in the post this week...my eagerly awaited book which I pre-ordered back in the Summer...

as you may already know I'm a HUGE fan of Chip and JoJo....so looking forward to getting stuck into this book and I'm eagerly awaiting the new season of Fixer Upper too 😁

So I will leave you with my choice of vintage photo for this post...very apt for todays weather...

the Gaberdine Mack! I had a navy blue one for school...did you have one of these??

And the quote for this post....

a good little life plan I think....💖

 Until next time...have a great time...enjoy everything you do xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jumping In...Feet First :)

Hello...(gives a little wave from the side lines)

It has been so long since I posted last...as some of you will know I have been battling against depression and anxiety....I am glad to say that the dark days are now behind me once again and life is getting pretty much back to how it was...I have been a little scared of coming back to blogging again...but have decided to jump in feet first!

I am not going to dwell on the battle I have been fighting...just to say a lot of people do it everyday and its so important to find a way to aid your 'Mind Health'...my way has sometimes been with the help of medicine but these days I can control it with yoga exercise and meditation and just being kind and listening to what I need...but I would urge anyone struggling to get professional help...you are important and very very worthy so don't ever think you are not!

During the Summer I didn't really get up to much...I took a step back from everything...I even put my crochet hooks away!!! I think my Mom gave me a little project just to get me back interested in crafting again...it was a cover for my Dads TV chair...we decided on a retro feel with the colours and a 'manly' colour palette haha :) this was the result....

I used a new stitch to me....its called Larksfoot...a really easy but striking pattern I will definitely use that stitch again....

Once Summer is coming towards its end we always go on holiday....this year we packed up and went to Devon...a beautiful log cabin in its own grounds was our little home for the week...just glorious...perfect for getting to visit places and a HOT TUB! Oh how I love a hot tub! The weather was splendid too....and Sidmouth has become my favourite place in the world...old fashioned...gorgeous shops...bliss!

Puppy dog even got to do a spot of paddling in the sea...

I have come to the conclusion that Summer is my least favourite season....I am always so glad when Autumn comes...that is my favourite season...I know it can feel a little sad when everything starts to die back...but it is the season of re-birth...seeds being sown...trees settling in for a winter nap...not to mention the glorious colours...all of my favourite colours...I truly am an Autumn girl :)

So back to crafting...I had an email come through from Hobbycraft and they had little faux pumpkins on sale for £1...I knew I had to have some of these...so 3 were purchased that same day...I wanted to use them for display...I like to change around the décor to suit the seasons so these would be perfect...I also knew that I wanted white pumpkins this year...so set about painting them with chalk paint and highlighting details with acrylic paint...this was the result...

and the best bit is that they are hollow so if you wanted to carve them they are nice and easy...I just took the top of mine and put a jar inside to hold flowers...

I used the others in a little Autumn display in the kitchen...I painted up a little wooden crate and stencilled the letters on...used the pumpkins, foliage and the last of hydrangea flowers which dried such beautiful colours and added in some feathers and pine cones...

and for Halloween...I used fresh flowers with an added cute little witch :))

It is a wonderful crisp cold day here today...blue skies and frost...my favourite kind of day! I've just got back from playing ball with Puppy Dog over the field...it was beautiful...

There are two things on my list of things I would really like to have from Pinterest this week...

isn't this just adorable? a little snow globe with a yarny Christmas Tree inside...they are on sale at TK Maxx...so Hubby I hope you are reading this! HaHa :)  The other is a this...

I just soooo want a vintage red truck...just like this...I would use it for Autumn and for Christmas I just love it!

So that's about it...all caught up with the little makes...I do have some more crochet stuff to share with you but will save that till next time....

I will leave you with a vintage photo...which is very much from my childhood...

I had one of these...exactly the same! Oh how I loved that trike...and the little boot on the back was so useful...in fact I would love to ride one of these now haha :)

and my quote for this week...

very much my 'To Do' list over the last few months....

Take care all...enjoy everything you do...until next time....lots of love xxxx

A Big Hello....

Its been ages since I have posted...and I know a lot of you have been popping by the page so I thought I had better say something....

Things have not been brilliant...there have been a few problems arrived on the horizon...I have been suffering with stress, anxiety and a little depression...and I have just been unable to function...I've felt lost...and there's been a lot of tears...BUT I think the black mist is clearing...I can feel my world being "coloured" back in if you can understand what I mean....I read somewhere the other day..."in this unsettling summer of 2016" and that is just how it has felt...

I have allowed this to happen to me....now I need to "bail out" and get a new way of thinking...

In the meantime....

I wish you a very happy August and hope that you are all having a wonderful time and enjoying everything you do....I will be back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Flower Power :)

Hello....hope you are all having a lovely Sunday....and Happy Fathers Day to all you Dads :)

Well I don't know about you...but I'm glad for a little daylight and no rain!!! What weather we have had! I hope you have all be safe and have not had terrible floods wherever you are in the country...I'm so glad our weather did the right thing for the Queen's birthday celebrations...I really did enjoy every bit of it...made me feel very proud...we do put on a great celebration don't we :)

This post looks like its going to be a flower fest...a bit of flower power...I adore flowers (even though I suffer with hay fever!) I just have to have them all around the home...and more so in Summer I find...and I have been very glad of them over the past couple of weeks...they have been a little bright spot to cheer up the gloom of grey skies :)

I met one of my "besties" at the local garden centre for coffee and a catch up and spotted a very pretty little crate with two mini milk bottles inside on my way in right by the door...it stopped me in my tracks...once I had picked it up it was sold! I fell in love with it...on the afternoon walk I picked some wild rose buds...it just looked perfect on the little shelf in the kitchen :)

Now I'm not an impulse buyer...but it has happened twice in the last few weeks...my family will testify that I can see something that takes my eye and I can carry it all around the shop and then on the way out put it back...I way up whether I can live without it or not...if I can it will probably go back on the shelf haha...but this little beauty...it was definitely coming home with me!

My Best "Bestie" came to lunch last week as I couldn't get out to meet for lunch...we had a lovely catch up and put "the world to rights" as you do....she's so lovely, she arrived with a gorgeous bouquet of beautifully fragrant stocks ( in my fav colours) and a pack of new tennis balls for Puppy Dog...and I can happily say we were both thrilled :)

Although I no longer really do any floristry work...I do still have just a couple of customers who I do flowers for...they have been regular customers for some years now and its good to just keep your "hand" in :) So this week because of Fathers Day they always order two posy arrangements to take to the cemetery...whilst I was making them...I thought that maybe a very quick little photo tutorial might be nice to share with you...so you can have a go yourselves.... :)

No1...make sure you soak your oasis foam thoroughly and I always add some of the plant food sachet neat on top of the foam to feed the flowers...source some greenery...I used the new shoots from the Laurel bush...add this to oasis around the lower edge all the way around and some in the middle to determine the height

No 2...cut your flower stems to the required height...you are aiming for a rounded domed effect...and we always work in odd numbers...place your first choice of focal flowers all the way around the base...middle and top in odd numbers  (as an example 9 around the base, 5 around the middle and 1 in the centre)

No 3...add the next colour flowers you've chosen in the same way...between the first lot of blooms

No4...lastly add your filler flowers (in this case I used spray carnations and Gyp) again in odd numbers to highlight the main blooms and fill in any gaps...you don't want to see any oasis foam

And there you have it a lovely little posy...just keep the saucer topped up with water so the foam doesn't dry out and they will last as long as if they were in a vase... :)

I love spray carnations in arrangements as there are so many colours and they are very long lasting...but when you buy them in the supermarket they are usually in quite tight buds and don't really make the impact that they should...a trick is to gently...but firmly circle your finger tip over the flower bud and the petals with open up...but last just as long :)

flowers before being opened...

this is same stem afterwards...

Well just to complete this trip into flower power...I had some beautiful pink peonies on the kitchen counter this week and they have been splendid a real pick-me-up first thing in a morning...gorgeous "blousy" flowers! :)

And haven't we needed a bit of a pick-me-up...with all these terrible things going on in the world...it really does upset me and affects my mood terribly...I find it so...well quite unreal...that people can behave so appalling...with such hatred for human life...my heart goes out to all those affected in the USA shootings and to the family of Jo Cox...and don't get me started on those idiots at the Football...how on earth are they getting the flare guns and flares into the grounds??? you would think the French Authorities would be very strict...especially with what's been happening in their country? It just seems the world is not a nice place at the moment...just all so very upsetting :(

So...with that little rant over...I will retreat back into "my world" its nice and safe there...and show you some little crafty bits n bobs I've been up to...

I mentioned in my last post I had made a card for my daughters birthday...well I can now share that with you...I'm not really a very good card maker but I do enjoy having a go...so here it is...

she loved it and has framed it... :) which made me feel quite chuffed that she thought it was worthy of putting on the wall :)

Crochet...thankfully is back in full swing :) I finished the blue granny square blanket I was making in the last post...and made a little "useful" blanket to compliment it with the left over wool....

And my next blanket is very near to completion...in fact it should be finished later on today....

I am soooo in love with the colours in this blanket...I wanted a sort of faded, vintage look...I only said to Hubby last night...I just adore this blanket and I don't think I can bear to sell it! :)

Not sure what the next project will be...but I'm thinking about trying to write a pattern...one for beginners who just want a first project to complete...so we'll see...I'm not sure I will be able to do it but I thought it might be nice for someone who has just learnt the stitches...I know there's a lot of very good patterns and tutorials out there and do we really need another one?

I have been doing some "colouring in" too...when we re-decorated the bedroom one piece of furniture had 2 "cubbies" at the top and I have been looking for some vintage suitcases to fit...but as the spaces were not very deep it was proving difficult...when last week I got a phone call from my Mom and Dad who had spied some small cardboard "suitcase" style boxes what would fit perfectly...they were from the charity shop which was even better...so for £5 my room is now complete :) they were actually keepsake boxes for babies...but they were unused, shop soiled...and lines were printed on to look like straps...

So I got out my trusty pens and coloured them in...it has given them a fab little lift :)

My second impulse buy was from the charity shop again...I spied a plastic bag...and the contents filled my heart with glee (I'm easily pleased haha) and it was only £3.50...I have no idea what to do with the contents but I had to have them :)

There was no putting these back on the shelf...the contents were...19 mini cream buckets, 3 gold/silver pens, silver and gold thread, loads of min pegs, 14 wooden heart pegs and about 100 cream labels of 2 designs...a bargain I thought!

Finally my trawling's around Pinterest I came across these lovely items...

the first is these genius key holders...painted vintage door knobs and the door key is your key fob...I just love this idea...middle picture I think is a great...use an old or cheap shower curtain to take on holiday and make a water pit in the sand...hours of fun for little ones...thirdly...call me a sentimental old fool...but for the worn out teddy whos a little too play worn but you cant bear to throw away (how could you!) mount him on a frame and keep him forever...lovely for a grown up child to take with them when they leave home :((...lastly another one for me...I cant get rid of pretty broken tea cups or tea pots...these make a lovely display planted up... :)

Well there we have it...a round up of the last couple of weeks...I only said to my daughter yesterday I have no idea what I'm going to write about I don't seem to have done much...but me being a chatterbox...she didn't have any doubt I would have something to say haha...I hope you enjoyed the bit of flower power! :)

This weeks vintage photo....

isn't she adorable...I have felt a little discouraged...so now I know the answer...I need a Tutu! Goodness that would be a sight to see haha

And this weeks quote...

It really is true...this is in honour of Major Tim Peake who arrived back on earth yesterday with a massive bump! Some of his first words...."the Earth smells so good...and its great to breathe fresh air"

Till next time my lovelies...have a great time...enjoy everything you do...xxxxxxxxxxxxx