matron!!!!!!

This is an extra special post for Mary Poppins who recieved a tag where she had to reveal the 4th photo from her 4th folder. I say special as she has allowed me to join in as I wasnt tagged as such.
I couldnt resist taking a look to see what mine was, needless to say it made me laugh that out of thousands of photos it had to be this one.......


I cant believe I'm posting it even!


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Brace yourselves!


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Its a bit x-rated!


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Lock up your husbands!


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Genuine 4th of the 4th picture!

Gorgeous hey?

This was from my 2004 Christmas folder, so I was probably wearing a Christmas hat too!
Hope that made you smile Mary!


So now I have to pass it on to 4 bloggers.

Country Bliss

Linden Grove

Bertie Meadows

Clover Cottage

Do with what you will!
Have fun though!

cake

This was our cat Cake.
Was one of a kind.
A family member.
Highly strung.
My muse.
Loved.

now I've upset myself,
so I'll wish you all a cheerier weekend....

ps. I painted this a good few years ago
and although we lost cake 5 years ago it still chokes me up!

rainbow brite

I've been inspired by attic 24 with all the lovely colour!
So I made a collage of past projects!

its awards season!

I have been blessed twice this week and both from my pal Yvonne over at Country Bliss. We were swap buds last year and were pretty successful I think! So thankyou Yvonne your blog is fabulous too!
Now I'm choosing just one blog to pass on this award as its hard to separate them, I think all your blogs are fanastic! So drum roll, it goes to Lou at Ludabelle not only does she have a fab blog but she's a really lovely lady too, and its not because she's a gardener honest!



The second award was a cute friends award! Thanks!!
I shall pass this one to my friend Lisa at Jumble and Jelly. We hope to meet up one day and get down to some serious thrifting!!

breathing space

lido de lymington

Before Christmas we had a wander around Lymington trying to find some Christmas spirit. What we did find however was a cute little shop called Lulu's. They sell a good proportion of Cath Kidston and a nice selection of brands that compliment the kitsch style. Although no fabrics here.

Alas, the one thing I wanted (natural polka hand towels), they did not have! Now don't get me wrong I do love the Cath Kidston look, especially the fabrics, but I didn't buy anything even with 20% off!!
Is there something wrong with me??
Actually I've realised that I'm not big on pink and only just getting into floral.
I still get a buzz from CK goodies in the flesh, maybe that's the best way to be,
its kinder on the wallet too!
I wonder if I would feel different if I didn't live with a man?

I did find a sweet lantern (cos I needed it right?).
Its made from recycled cans, I'm a sucker for anything handmade and recycled.
I don't like buying commercially produced goods if I can help it.
Therefore I wont be buying anything from Ikea when the new store opens next month, well maybe I just wont blog about it!! LOL

With my one purchase I met up with Mr Fete and took a brisk stroll down to show him the sea water lido. Its a massive swimming pool that I remember as a child, its quite amazing that its still there!


No one swimming today though!

it's vintage darling!!

I wasnt going to post today, but I've just had a nice surprise that I had to share! As you saw from my last post I removed the temporary patchwork covering off the chair in the loft room as seen to the right. >
So today I thought I should try and recover it.

Well this is what I found!!
My husband had this chair when I met him, in fact it could have belonged to his Gran as he bought her house. The only downer is that there were two, one was broken at a party I think!


I just love that it was there all those years
and I never even knew!



Now I'm in a quandary as what to do?
It is very much vintage and is showing its age, so not really good for sitting on.
Anyone else having style issues in the home?
I know what I like, but don't how to put it together!

I realise there is more to life...but still!

another week another cushion~another year another quilt

Instead of buying new, I am trying to use what I already have squirreled away to make a more homely decor. This patchwork cushion was purchased for a couple of pounds and If you look to the right I was using it as a chair cover. Its amazing how opinions on things change and amazing how Mr Fete hasn't rolled his eyes yet!

Isn't it strange how we creative beings carry around projects in our heads. I have a thousand, but this is one Ive started. Remember back in the autumn I showed you a quilt I wanted to make:

Well I'm on my way, I've made templates and cut out all the papers needed. I am using the English paper method again, a little time consuming but easier when it comes to piecing together.
The colours are gold, lilac and blue and I'm already scouring charity shops and auction sites for fabric. I'm after vintage fabrics, so this might be a long project...


This just dropped through my letter box in quite a miserable damp state. Where and how this happened is beyond me, let it be a caution to all crafters to wrap your parcels in waterproofs!

thank you

Can I just say thank you for your generous comments on my attempt at scenery painting, I am a humble crafter so your positiveness gives me a boost. That said, I shall post some more of my painterly dabblings as asked for by Simone at Linden Grove, coming soon...

he's behind you!!

For the last 4 sundays I have been secretly painting a scene for our local amateur dramatics panto Jack and the beanstalk. I say secretly because I've never done anything like this before and wasnt to sure how it would turn out.
Its ok...I am very self critical, so its quite an unnerving experience to paint something everyone can see, especially if you think its pants!! I shall do better next time!!

I managed to squeeze in our late cat Sybil too.

feverish fingers

What more crafting!?!

I'm in one of those moods where anything is possible. It could be the newness of the year, or feeling like I wasn't going to make it through the ills of last year or the enthusiasm of fellow bloggers, but I like it and I hope it continues.



I bought this embroidered cushion slip back in October for 30pish. I've finally got round to stuffing it and sewing it together. It was a bit shabby so I sewed some ribbon around the edge, which also hides the seams and I now have a sturdy cushion instead of a useless piece of fabric.

Am I the only one who gets frustrated trying to find a *decent card?

So much so that I might just make them all this year. This is the first. A little on the rushed side, as its my friends birthday today, if I post it now do you think she will get it today!

*ps. I'm not suggesting this is a decent card.

My bad :(

I would just like to say hi to Hen at henhouse who you probably already know; I'm making friends one at a time otherwise its all too crazy and I don't know one blogger from another! Any way shes been kind enough to give me some tips on making seat pads, lets hope I produce something soon!

what I'm loving

Are you a person who finds a nice shirt and buys it in every colour?

It seems that I am; except its not shirts its foods that you add hot water too!!
I must say, however funny this was to me and my husband, I totally recommend these cup a soups, and I'm not a fan of Mr Harriot.
I drink mostly herbal tea so its a bonus when they are on offer. Get yourself down to asda to snap up the 50p bargain!

winter wonderland

Our patch was breathtaking yesterday, I felt like a paparazzi, I could have taken a million beautiful photographs, here are just some of them...







We have a secret walk that we named 'Oddie Alley' as we saw a fox the first time we found it.
And once more we were rewarded with a gorgeous deer and her lovely white rear!
I'm really going to have to get a new camera!

pass the parcel

I have finished my first craft project of 2009~that is to say only after I had ordered a very pungent delivery of lavender!! I had not realised how strong the package would smell, none the less my postie said he had received a lot of compliments that morning on how sweetly he smelled!

We had to chuckle!

So that situation reminded me of a time when I had a banana guard delivered(before they were widely available), by a bashful young lad. The banana guard arrived in a grey parcel sack with no packing, needless to say it didn't take a lot of imagination to work out what he thought it was, as he passed it too me!!

Ever had any funny parcel tales?



My first heart of the year!

Actually I've had this idea in the pipeline for a few months and started the embroidery over Christmas. Its for a friend who's having tough times.

Its double sided with a little robin for good luck.

I'm never really that happy with sewing hearts as they never come out with perfect curves, how hard can it really be I ask you? So I stitched the ric~rac that I've had for ever along the seam, and I'm really rather pleased. Its only taken me 3 years to produce something of worth!




This leads me on to a project to celebrate a year of blogging this coming March. Did any one work out my cryptic clue left on my yule blog post?

Its been a long time coming, but at last I will be celebrating my year with a giveaway!

As they say on the tv don't phone in yet the lines are not open. I will post nearer the time. I will of course be making one of my bespoke (erhem) hearts completely to your design, so get your thinking caps on, march is not far away!!

nice bird

Want to know what it is, apart from the obvious?
Hop on over to my garden blog~this gardens life

**Happy New Year**

2008 was not that great.

2009 will be just fine.....