KEEP CALM don't PANIC!!!!

Well Good Morning...yep its still morning...just checked....

Its sunny today!!! I cant tell you how sick and tired I am of this constant rain :(

I'm also a little worried about this warm weather we are having and the effect its going to have on Mother Nature....I've seen posts of blossom trees in full bloom...dandelions...and my honeysuckle is in full leaf again and producing flowers! I really don't like it at all...I like my winters and Christmas to look like this....

(photo taken from Pinterest)

On Friday it suddenly hit me that it was only a week till the big day!...and yes...I did feel VERY panicked....I have never been this laid back....and so not on top of everything...I've normally wrapped all the presents...the cards have all been delivered...food all bought...and list after list of everything else that needs to be done!...this year...the only things I have done are the lists ha ha.....

but I've got my butt into gear...Friday the Christmas cards were posted....yesterday the presents were wrapped....today...well I'm just going to do the shopping list...then watch Christmas Films until Hubby tells me to turn them off (if he dares ha ha)

I made my gift tags on Friday ready for the big wrapping up session....

I am so glad I purchased these little printing blocks earlier in the year...they have been so useful...I love them....

I did another practice run of Pavlova...and someone pinched the bowl off the sink while my back was turned...but she insisted it fell off and she didn't touch it..... :)

no mom I didn't lick the bowl...honest...

Crochet has been slow and steady but my granny square blanket is all finished...I love the colour combination...I'm going to save up my blankets and put them up for sale in my Etsy shop in the New Year....

Now that that blanket is finished...I will be starting on the order for two Patchwork ones...my work basket is brimming with colour...ready and waiting...

I have been looking at Christmas table settings this morning...but I think I have made my mind up what I'm doing already anyway...it will be an Art Deco theme...of course...as its my favourite :) I will hopefully be able to capture a photo of the table before it gets too messy :) I've got new placemats...plates and glasses...cant wait to set it up :)

I'm so glad I have been able to reign myself in a little this year and be a bit more relaxed about everything...this time last year I was quite poorly...in a lot of pain...feeling very low and depressed and wondered how the devil I was going to get through the holiday period...I already knew I had my consultants appointment early in the new year...and prayed that my operation wouldn't be too long after that...I think that was the only thing that got me through...this year has been very different...thankfully :)

This week I just thought I would share a few of my favourite Christmassy pictures from my Pinterest board...because by next week Christmas will be as far away again as it can be...the big day over and we'll be looking forward to New Year Celebrations...so I have to get these in while I've got the chance ha ha

I would so love ittle place as cute and as lovely as this to go and hide away with a snuggly blanket and a cuppa :)

the reindeers....

the cutest little crafted angel...

vintage print of the big guy.... :)

this weeks vintage(y) photo is something from my childhood...which I had one Christmas...but this really made me laugh...as its just how it is these days :))

Well all that's left for me to say this week...is...I hope you have the merriest of times...Santa brings you everything that you wish for...that you are able to relax (ha ha)...and you are surrounded by your loved ones and friends...

So Merry Christmas...I'll see you on the other side...have a great week...enjoy everything you do....xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Home Christmassy Home....

Good Afternoon....a little late again with this weeks diary entry...but its been a busy week and a busy morning....the morning has been spent with my eldest Grandson....as we don't see him over the Christmas holidays he has an early Christmas with us...opens all his presents from us and has roast lunch...lovely :)

This week...as I promised myself last week...has been full of cleaning and then decorating for Christmas...I have absolutely loved...loved...loved this week! I am a great lover of lists...they motivate me...so I wrote my to do list and worked my way through it with gusto...and finally at the end of the week our decorations went up....we are now living in Santa's Grotto!!! ha ha....

The morning of the "going up of the tree"....I baked these....for breakfast....

which were devoured in a flash....in fact I baked six...so one went missing even before I'd managed to take the photo!!

Whilst I was in "domestic Goddess" mode...I also practiced the Pavlova we are having for Christmas lunch...I had never used the carton egg whites before so thought I had better try it out first...and I have to say its fantastic stuff...so much easier and less wasteful than using eggs...and then wondering what to do with yolks...

Now back to the main mission of the week....

a selection of the ornaments on the tree and the little cottage tea light...the crystal angels with Jake and Roxy written on them...are for our beautiful doggies that are now doggy angels sharing Christmas with us still....(sigh) I do so miss them still :(

decorations around the house...the bouncing robin...which Puppy Dog loves to nudge and make him bounce around...glittery stags (stags AND glitter!! can it get any better)...new little red tree...and my homemade floral decoration for the kitchen....

kitchen shelf with gorgeous figgy pudding candles (they smell amazing from Sainsburys)...Christmas cottage tea lights (from Morrisons) and my Cath Kidston salt & pepper dogs....

caught them kissing...no mistletoe either ha ha.....

even the eggs basket gets decorated...

love my new stag and the cut out tree...

even Buddha enters into the spirit of it all.... :)

this is a card I received last year...I loved it so I framed it up...

this photo is not mine (you can probably tell that from the quality...its professional...not at amateurish like mine ha ha) I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was too gorgeous not to share it with you....

On the craft front...I have finished the little dollies blanket and I have also since made a little pillow to match...

it will be winging its way to a certain adorable little miss...along with....a little poncho for her dolly...to match hers...

its just soooo cute!!! and so quick to make.... :)

The granny square blanket is almost joined together....

just three more squares to complete...then the border...which is this afternoons job...cosying with Puppy Dog watching Christmas films...its a dark, rainy, windy day...so nothing is better than that...with all the twinkly fairy lights on of course.... :) 

When this is finished...I will be starting on another two of the Patchwork Blankets that have been ordered....from the lovely lady who purchased from me last week...its been an absolute delight to make a new acquaintance...she sounds "right up my street" as we say around these parts :)...and all from crochet blankets :) I'm so looking forward to making more of these....

Well that's about it for this week....I'm ready for a cuppa...I'll leave you with a vintage photo....Christmas themed...of course!!!

an absolutely gorgeous little picture...made up from vintage pieces of costume jewellery...a really nice way to use up family pieces that have got broken...give them a new lease of life...

This weeks quote....

Have a great week....enjoy everything you do....xxxxxx

A Little Confidence Boost....

Well I'm late adding my scribble to this weeks diary page..... :)

We've had a busy day....finally its stopped blowing a gale and lashing down with rain...so thankfully we have been able to clean the windows inside and out and our Christmas Fairy Lights are up in all the windows...I like to clean the windows first before the lights go up :)  I'm really behind this year...the home normally looks like Santa's Grotto by now...ha ha....but this week will see me giving each room a really good clean (not the cosmetic flick over they usually get...ha ha... housework is not my favourite thing!) and the decorations going up...so by this time next week we will be fully decorated for the season...maybe too early for some...but I am like a "kid at Christmas" this time of year :)

The weather has been awful but not as bad as some of had it...my heart goes out to those people who have been flooded out :( Today the wind was still strong but not enough to blow you over...which it nearly did the other day...and no rain...just a fine mizzle...which I can cope with...in fact this mornings walk...if you closed your eyes....you could make believe you were at the beach...the wind blowing through the tree branches sounded like the waves rushing in...and the mizzle on your face was like a little bit of sea spray...so a little bit of make believe was had this morning :)

On the crafty side of things...I'm still working up the granny squares for my blanket...I've just got to do the last round on a few squares and it will be ready for joining....

and yesterday I started a little dolls blanket for a certain little lady's new pram :)

I want it to look a little "vintagey" and I'm going to edge it in turquoise to match her pram...then make a little pillow too...

I've also been making little woollen mitten decorations...it was really nice to get the old knitting needles out again...its been at least year...but my heart belongs to crochet :)

I came across this posted on Repeat Crafter Me Facebook page...its a hedgehog pencil holder...but makes a perfect crochet hook holder too....I love it!

I sold my smaller patchwork blanket this week...and this was the little boost of confidence I had...the lady who purchased it emailed me...

....."Wow!!!!

It's even more beautiful than in the photograph and I love how it smells and the packaging was exquisite. Well done, it will be going to Vancouver at some point.

Thank you, you are very, very, talented".....

That just made my week I can tell you...I do lack confidence in everything...especially my crochet projects...so this made my heart really happy...I always wash my blankets when they are finished...so I can check that none of the colours will run and so its nice and clean and smelling lovely for its new owner...and I pack them in an organza dust bag for protection...so it was nice that these little touches were also appreciated :)

December 1st meant it was time for the Christmas Mugs and the little robins on the clock to come out....these are the first decorations to appear :)

and new Christmassy candles were purchased.....

So now to Pinterest...another of my favourite things :) This weeks Christmas Special is homemade decorations...the site is full of them... here is a selection...they are all taken from my Christmas board on my Pinterest page and the full details and links to instructions can be found there....

Simply made from those little battery operated tea light candles, bit of ribbon and felt pen...

using walnuts, a bit of felt and felt pen....

felt cut out boots, a bit of stitching and a paper clip blade.... :)

One last photo...simply baby socks trimmed with a bit of fabric fur and an empty toilet roll inside makes the perfect little holder...

And so to finish up this weeks entry...I haven't been able to find a suitable vintage photo this week...so this is as near to a vintage picture...and absolutely... I don't like being normal...ha ha... :)

and the quote is for all my closest friends...you all know who you are...and this is how I feel about you....

Have a great week...enjoy everything you do.....xxxxxxxx

End of November...

Morning...

Well the end of November is nearly here....its been a rotten week...I've just wanted to hibernate...the weather has been awful and I have felt a little unwell...so not much has been happening :(

A little bit of creativeness happened on Monday when I had to do a posy for a friend...

a pretty posy in pink....

I have been doing a little on the granny square blanket but haven't got too far into it at all...so wasn't really worth posting any photos of it...

I did make a little hat yesterday for Mr Squirrel....

The instructions were from a Pin I did ages ago...you know... the ones you Pin and think I'll make that and never do ha ha...

quite a simple process of looping wool around a bit of toilet roll...Puppy Dog pinched what was left and played with it for a while ripped it to pieces...so I couldn't make anymore :)

And that's about it...so as you can see...it really has been a non productive, pretty boring week!

But next week....its December!!!! All my Christmas mugs and plates will be out...I change them over from our normal ones every year...a tradition I picked up off my lovely friend...but she goes the whole hog and all the crockery gets changed...its just lovely....I also have a little costume make to help out with for a little ones Christmas play so much to look forward to next week....

Now for Christmas makes....this week I thought I'd choose Wreaths...I love a wreath and much inspiration is to be found on the Internet...these are some which I think would be fairly easy to make...

Using shop bought artificial foliage and berries and pretty ribbons....

Again shop bought artificial berries...glue gun them onto a wire, polystyrene or twig wreath base...

Using new baubles or better still old vintage pieces even if they are broken...they can have a new life glue gunned onto a wreath base and a lovely way to display family pieces :)

The next picture is the one I used as the inspiration for mine that I made last year....

I had never done anything like this before...I had made lots of fresh foliage Christmas wreaths and added ribbons...but I figured with a glue gun anything was possible :)

And here is my version...

I used a twig wreath base...pinecones I had collected on our walks...some nuts purchased from the supermarket...a few artificial berries and some cheeky little robins...I hung it in the hallway and put some little battery fairy lights around it...cost was very little as the main part was just picked up off the fields and dried out :)

So a short and sort of sweet diary entry this week...I very much doubt that I will have inspired anyone this week...not even myself ha ha...I'll leave you with this weeks vintage photo...

I clearly remember the corona pop lorry coming around the streets to deliver...and we used to save the bottles to return as you got money off for saving them...see we did recycle even in those days :) I also remember the beer wagon coming around...."Beer At Home Means Davenports"...I can still remember all of the jingle....

This weeks quote....

A must for all that have been worrying.....take care...have a lovely week...enjoy everything you do...xxxxx