Contented

Stitched up

Do you remember the little stitchery design that Claire of Matching Pegs sent me a while back?  Well, it's been sitting in my to-do pile since I received it, waiting for me to pluck up courage to start working on it as, other than learning the basic stitches at school, I've not really done any "proper" embroidery before.  But this weekend I decided to take the bull by the horns and just give it a go.  And do you know what?  I loved it!  I was completely hooked from the start and did the whole thing over the course of the weekend (although I still can't get the hang of French knots - must go and see if I can find a good tute on youtube!)

 

(Oops, the photo's a bit dark, it looks brighter in real life).

Now, I doubt my stitching would stand up to close inspection by an embroidery expert, but I am so happy at how it turned out!  In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I went and ordered the Doodle Stitching book from Amazon!  Now I just need to decide what to do with my little bit of stitching.  Originally I had though about putting it into a cushion cover, but now I'm wondering whether to just frame it and hang it on the wall?  What do you guys think?

I have been managing to do a bit of "other" sewing too.  With the school summer fair in mind, I've been trying to make a few things each week, so that I won't have a mad panic the week before.  It's not til the end of June, so still a couple of months to go, but already I'm worrying about whether I'll have enough stuff, whether it's the right kind of stuff, will people like it etc, etc.  I've got a few new bags,

 

 

These two still need linings.  Some little quilted hearts,

 

as well as all the felt brooches and beaded hearts that I've made already.  I still need to make more of these, plus coin purses and maybe some soft fabric storage buckets too.  But before I can get on with all that, I have a swap gift to make and some upcoming birthday presents too!  Busy, busy, busy!!

Have a great week!

R x

50 questions

I've just seen this over at LissyLou's blog, and thought I'd join in the fun.

1. Are you wearing a hat?    No (who wears a hat indoors?  I do wear one when it's cold and in the summer though - different ones obviously!)

2. Bottled water?  We use a filter jug at home but I'm quite happy to drink it straight from the tap too.

3. Do you have a crush on someone right now?  Only my hubs!  (As a teenager it was Michael J Fox)

4. What kind of computer do you have?  A Dell laptop

5. Do you prefer writing in pen or pencil?  Pen (although depending on the pen my writing can look either lovely or abysmal!)

6. Who was the last message in your inbox from? a comment from Picciolo

7. What's your favourite season?  Spring

8. Does your best friend have a girlfriend or boyfriend?  A husband

9. Do you like tea?  Oh yes, a splash of milk (not too much!) and 1 heaped sugar please!

10. Favourite radio station?  KMFM, our local station

11. Type your name into Google - what's the first site that appears? My facebook page (guess my name is pretty uncommon!)

12. What's your favourite song at the moment?  Pass - but I heard a good one on the radio today - Metro Station I think they were called? (I am horribly behind the times music wise - oh dear, must be getting old!)

13. Coke or pepsi?  If it's the original, "full fat" version then Coke, but for diet I would pick Pepsi

14. Favourite subject in school? Hometime

15. Last concert?  Oh god, I think it was Level 42 in Brighton in about 96?

16. Next concert?  Nothing planned!

17. Last magazine you bought?  Country Living May issue

18. Last book you read?  A Place Called Here by Cecilia Ahearn

19. Do you prefer cats or dogs?  Dogs (but I don't mind cats either)

20. Is there someone you want to punch right now?  No-one springs to mind!

21. Favourite sports team/person?  I'm really not a sports person, but out of loyalty to the boys of the family I suppose I would have to say West Ham

22. Country you most want to visit?  New Zealand (wouldn't mind living there either!)

23. Are you a Blogger addict?  Well, I'm not on Blogger (actually, I am, but there's nothing on my page!) but I am most definitely addicted to blogging!

24. When do you shower?   Mornings usually

25. What's your dream job?  I've got it

26. What kind of car do you drive?  A Ford Focus C-max (although rarely, we only have the one car and hubs uses it for work so I only get to drive if I go out on my own, or if we're out together for the evening  - I don't drink so I'm always designated driver!)

27. What word in the dictionary best describes you?   ordinary (oh, and contented, of course!)

28. What's your blog address?  Duh?  It's up there in the address bar!

29. Worst TV show at the moment?  I only watch good tv!

30. Are you a better talker or listener?  Hmmm, depends on who I'm with!  Listening probably wins though in general.

31. What's your favourite colour?  pink

32. What is your favourite animal?  tough one, anything cute and fluffy! 

33. Are you afraid of the dark?  Not especially

34. Is there something lacking in your life right now?  A big bar of Galaxy sitting beside me?

35. What do you miss about childhood?  summer hols in Devon

36. How many times did it take you to pass your driving test?  One!

37. How many kids do you want?  Just the two I've got, thank you

38. Are you a good painter?  If we're talking emulsion on walls then yes, but if you mean works of art then no!

39. Can you cook?  Yes, but luckily I have a wonderful hubs who cooks most of our meals!  I just do the kids dinners and bake the cakes!

40. Are you a cheapskate?  No, but I don't like to pay more than I have to for something!

41. What would you do with a million pounds?  Pay off mine and all my families mortgages, then prob buy a bigger house (with my own sewing room!) and have a holiday.

42. Have you been to Disney World?  Yes, pre-kids in '96 - undoubtedly the best holiday we ever had!

43. How many days a month are you online?  Every one

44. Last time you went bowling?  Ooh, can't remember, but I think it was some time last year

45. Hot or cold weather?  About 20 degrees is perfect for me - I hate it when it gets really hot, so I'd prob have to go for cold.

46. How many pairs of shoes do you have?  Actual real, proper "shoe" shoes? None!  I have trainers, a couple of pairs of boots, and then mules or flip flops for the summer (what can I say, I have really awkwardly shaped feet and shoe shopping has never filled me with joy)

47. Are you a shop-a-holic?  Depends how you define it?  I'd say that generally I'm pretty restrained - I can't spend more than about 2 hours shopping at a time and I've never spent a huge amount on clothes (my husband has more than me, shoes too, come to think of it!). 

48. Where were you yesterday at 10.30?  At home with the kids.

49. Are you afraid of the dentist?  Never used to be - I was always a bit smug about my teeth, I got my first filling when I was 21 - but after the trauma I've been through with my teeth over the last few years, I'm now a bit more wary.

50. Were you bored or entertained by this survey?  Entertained, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered doing it!

Let me know if you decide to do this too, so I can come and check out your answers too!

R x

End of the holidays

Actually, it's not quite the end for us.  William goes back to school on Tuesday, but Joe doesn't go back until Thursday - they've just finished a new school building for Key Stage 1 and so the infants have the extra days off to give the staff time to get moved in properly and the building site cleared.   However, I have officially got to the "can't wait for them to go back to school" stage now.  William isn't a problem, he's fairly self sufficient now, but Joe tends to get a little stir crazy in the hols and the last few days have seen quite a few strops and a couple of full blown tantrums - he really needs to get back to the routine of school!  I do have a couple of things planned for those extra days.  He'll be coming with me to my regular Tuesday morning get together, and I'm hoping to take him swimming on Wednesday too.  Also on Wednesday, we shall be popping in to school to get a private tour of the new building - Joe really struggles with change and they hadn't had a chance to see their new classrooms before the end of term so his teacher suggested we go in so that Joe can be familiarised with where everything is before the first day back (which will, I'm sure, be absolute chaos!)

I'm also getting quite anxious to get back to the regular routine.  The last couple of weeks have been lovely, relaxed, go-with-the-flow, but my to-do list for the next few weeks is rapidly filling up and I really want to get cracking with everything that needs to be done.  Not to mention the fact that the house looks like a bomb has hit! 

 

To illustrate that point, here is a corner of our dining room that has been "taken over" by just some of my sewing stuff.  Our house is pretty small so there isn't a lot of room for "excess stuff".  And, unfortunately, we seem to have rather alot of excess stuff right now!!  I feel a blitz coming on.

R x

Bits and bobs

I hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend!  We did, just mooching around at home as usual, but still nice.  Now, what have we been up to?  Peter has had the last couple of days off as well, and today we all went to see Monster vs Aliens - in 3D!   If you haven't seen it - then go see it!  It was a good fun family movie but it has to be said, the 3D effects were pretty spectacular!  We explained to Joe what it would be like before we went but, unfortunately, he decided -after about 5 seconds! - that he didn't like the things jumping out at him and refused to wear the glasses!  He still enjoyed it though, although it looked pretty blurry without the specs. 

So what else have I been up to?  Let's see - my Saffron Craig fabric arrived, just a couple of fat quarters but they are very lovely!

 

No idea what I'm going to do with them yet, of course!  Although I did notice that they seemed to go quite well with the other piece of hand printed fabric I bought a little while back, what do you think?

 

I've also just finished reading this book:

 

Now, you know I don't "do" book reviews, but I did enjoy this one and would definitely recommend it.  It's a  little bit different - I'm really crap at explaining things so I'll just give you a bit of the blurb off the back:

"How can I describe this place?  It's an in-between place.  It's like a grand hallway that leads you nowhere, it's like a banquet dinner of leftovers, a sports team made up of the people never picked, a mother without her child, it's a body without it's heart.  It's almost there but not quite.  It's filled to the brim with personal items yet it's empty because the people who own them aren't here to love them."

I think I enjoyed this one better than PS, I Love You, just my personal opinion, of course!

Finally, I signed up for Silkiesue's Freestyle Swap and have been partnered with Lisa at Periwinkle.  I'd not discovered her blog before so I've been enjoying looking through her archives and learning a bit about her. She's made some gorgeous knitted bunnies!  Now I have to get my thinking cap on and decide what I'm going to send!

Ooh, no that wasn't the final thing, there's more!  Emma at Bagladee is celebrating her blog's first birthday and is giving away one of her gorgeous handbags so do pop over and say hello!

That's all for now.  Enjoy the rest of the week!

R x

The big draw

Thanks so much for all your lovely bloggy birthday wishes!  I hadn't realised quite how many regular blog "friends" I had, and there were a few newcomers too - I hope you come back again!  Anyway, down to business - I've been so excited about this giveaway, I decided to give two runner up prizes as well, of a birdie brooch each.  So, are you ready?  Fingers crossed?  Here we go...

 

The first name out, for the cute fabric basket is....

 

Lucy Locket!  Next, for the buttercup bag, we have....

 

Michelle!   Now, for my runners up, the next two names are...

 

Jessica and Picciolo!  Congratulations, ladies!  If you can let me have your addresses, I'll get your prizes sent off as soon as poss.  Thank you again to everyone who entered, and I'm sorry I can't send you all a little something.  Hope you all have a great weekend.

Happy Easter Everyone!

R x

Easter hols

School holidays are usually very laid back affairs in our house, and this one is turning out no different, which is just the way we like them.  This week we've been mostly at home, just mooching about, but at least the kids have been able to get outside in the nice weather.   It's been lovely to see them playing out there together.  Today, however, has been a bit grey and drizzly, but was brightened up no end for me by another lovely package from the postman:

 

Actually it wasn't from the postman at all (he just delivered it - haha!) but from one of my newer bloggy friends, Lisa.  I won a runner up prize in her giveaway and just look at the lovely things she sent me!

 

(check out the cute little origami bird on the front of the parcel!)

  

A felty hot cross bun, some yummy chocolates and jelly sweets, and a pack of easter bunny decorations, which you can't actually see in the above photo, so here they are on our easter tree:

 

Lisa is another lady who is very talented with felt - not only does she make hot cross buns but loads of other, rather realistic looking, sweet things such as fondant fancies, party rings and, my favourite, fab ice lollies!  Do go over and pay her a visit - tell her I sent you!  Thank you again, Lisa!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the big birthday giveaway!

R x

By George, I think she's got it!

I am feeling very happy right now as I have just had another go at making a little zippered pouch and it turned out like this!

 

 

Look how lovely that zip looks!  I'm so relieved that I've finally cracked it, and, it has to be said, having the right sort of zip makes a phenomenal amount of difference!  I order some 5inch zips from here - the one's I'd bought locally had horrible plasticcy bits on the ends which made the whole thing rather awkward and clumsy - but these zips from the states are perfect.  So I can now get on and make some coin purses for the summer fair.  Hurrah!

I'll leave you with a pic of our little Easter tree.  I've seen quite a few around blogland and they all look so pretty!

 

R x

One year old

Good morning!  Hold on, it's actually good afternoon already, how time flies!  So today, as you all by now have gathered, is my blog's first birthday!  I can't quite believe it's been a whole year.  365 days, 160 posts, 541 comments, 8110 views(!!!), 3 quilts, 5 pairs of socks, 7 swaps, and too many bags, scarves and felty things to number!  My life has honestly changed so much in this last year - and it's quite wonderful.  I could get all gushy at this point and tell you all how much the whole blogging thing means to me but, to be honest, it's all been said before (and probably much better than I could ever say it), and you guys know already. So I just want to say thank you to you all, for reading my ramblings, leaving me little messages, giving me loads of inspiration and for generally being wonderful friends!  I wish I could have you all over for a cup of tea and a piece of cake!

 

So, to the fun stuff!  As is blogging tradition, I have a giveaway for you.  There are not one but two prizes and I hope you'll like them:

 

- a little soft fabric storage basket, made from that super cute teatowel I showed you the other week,

 

- and another Buttercup bag, made with a button and loop closure this time.  There will be some other little goodies thrown in as well, and I may even pick a couple of runners up too!  You know the drill - leave me a comment on this post and I'll pick names out of the hat next Friday morning (10th).   I will post internationally so my overseas bloggy pals can enter too.  Good luck everyone!   And thanks for sticking with me!

R x

Just dropping in...

...to say "hello!" and to remind you to come back tomorrow when it is my little blog's 1st birthday!  There will, of course, be a giveaway to celebrate, and maybe some cake too!  In the meantime, this week has been good so far - a trip to Ikea (where I only spent £35 - now how did that happen?!), a trip to T.Wells today, some online shopping here (to make up for the fact that the shop I ordered my lovely cheap white cotton from has gone bust!  They don't seem to have debitted my credit card though which is a bonus, at least), and a meeting this afternoon with Joe's teacher and the SENCO lady, just to see how he's been doing this term and where we're at generally, the upshot of which is that we are making some progress, but it's often a case of two steps forward and one back, but at least we are moving foward, and I have some new strategies to try out over the easter hols.

Anyway, hope to see you all tomorrow!

R x