Fake it or not?

Now, I know from the title what is going through your heads! Naughty ladies! I am talking about flowers! Fake them or not? I am in two minds.

I love having a fresh posy of flowers in the house. Usually a pot in my living room and kitchen, sometimes on my bedside table, but I can't really justify having them in places I don't go so much. I actually like the thought of fresh flowers only having a short life span. You seem to appreciate them more, their colour, their beauty, and their fragility.

I got these the other day whilst I was at the Garden Centre. The jury is still out on them.  Maybe they will look okay in the right vase, far enough away that they will look decent from a distance! We shall see. Bloom do a good range of fake flowers. I have a couple from them that I got years ago and they are probably the most realistic I have seen. A tad pricey, although, once you have them, you have them for life.

I will attempt to make an arrangement with what I have got. Will let you know how it goes!

Meanwhile some nice pics from Berry Reds valentines range.

I love the scarf idea. Something to think about doing on a plain scarf.


Don't forget if you havn't already entered the Cornishware Giveaway, just click on the Cornishware sidebar and leave a comment for your chance to win a set of 4 Cornishware mugs worth £40!!!!! The giveaway closes at midnight tomorrow UK time. It doesn't matter what country you are in, the giveaway is open to all who follow my blog.

Have a lovely day all!

xxxx

New week

Good Morning fellow Bloggers! I hope you had a great weekend! Mine was okay. I didn't get as much as I would have liked done around the house. On Saturday I showed family support when my dad and his friends exhibited at a Railway exhibition in my town. Now, I have grown up with a father who has had a long time love affair with steam, and his father too. I have grown up with steam trains all over the house and railway layouts everywhere. At a glance and a meet, you would not put my dad down as a railway annorak. My dad....oh my dad...the embarrasment of my life as a child. Totally the opposite to me. I was very much like my mother. She was quiet and mousey, whereas my father was loud and opinionated and hot tempered. My brothers were just like him in many ways, but I always had relief that I took after my mum! My dads view was that there is no fun in having a conversation with people that agree with you. So, you get the picture! Love him to bits but can only take him in doses and have no idea how my mum puts up with him.

Anyway, He really wanted us to go and see his layout in all its glory. He and a few of his friends have spent years making it. I could not believe how packed it was. It was in a school and it was heaving with people. Eldest child absolutely loved it. He loves making models and loved the trains and scenery, middle child said after 2 minutes there....'it's good but I want to go home now'! I have to say it is soooooo true what they say. There were a few young families there with their sons who were loving it all, then there were the  really old gentlemen who probably had a lot to do with steam, then there were the real annoraks, that looked very odd indeed! For me, once you have seen one train, you've seen them all, although I have to say without bias, my dad's layout was by far the best and with the amount of people standing in front of it proved it! I couldn't get a look in, so went behind the scenes and got to run a train or two. OMG you should have seen some of the annoraks faces! There was I, a woman, not looking too interested at the whole train thingee but got to go backstage! Nearly wet myself laughing!

So, my dad was pleased for the support but that was the day over really.

Sunday, day started with the usual, bickering kids, me stressed, so a bit of crochet to sooth and a bit of crafting also. Our garden shed came down and was burnt in the garden. Boys loved it....but in and out constantly, cold day, house cold and now it completely stinks of bonfire! I cannot get away from the damn smell of it. Have had to light candles this morning to try to disguise it!

An afternoon spent browsing my recent mag purchases and an evening watching Dancing on Ice. So that was my weekend.

I have feel that I need motivation to shift the Christmas weight and have decided that if I lose a stone I can buy a new outfit from White stuff and a treat from the Antiques store. Hopefully that should get me going! White stuff have fab stuff in at the moment and needless to say I want it all. Also have got great inspiration from this months mags...here are a few of my fave piccies.....

I love this pic, beautiful coloured vase and lovely flowers. It cheers me!

I love the colour combinations in this one.

I love this chest! Am really into this colour. A tad pricey but you can get them cheaper on ebay. Have no where to put any more furniture in this house, but would have to squeeze it in somewhere!

I spotted these beauties and ordered them straight away! Feeling a tad guilty but can't wait for them to come, I think they are just so pretty.


This house is my dream house and I think I will take a lot of inspiration from these pages!

Am currently loving from the White Stuff.....

Although, probably by the time I will have lost the weight, there will be nothing left in my size!

Have a great day all! xx

Busy Busy

This week has gone quickly. I feel like I have packed a lot in, with every spare moment being used up. I'm not complaining. I feel like a lot has been accomplished, however, there still seems so much to do.

Every moment I have had of free time without any of the children, I have been out running errands. Every moment of time in the house has been spent doing the usual of tending to the boys and trying to get a bit of crafting done.

My printer is broken and that annoys me as I have a mountain of stuff to print off to do crafty projects, but I suppose I should be thankful as it slows me down a bit and limits me to concentrating on other things.

My second cushion is on it's way. The colours are coming together nicely. I went to the fabric store to get 2 cushion inners but it was buy 3 get one free so I came away with 4! So two more crochet cushions to come after this next one is done!

My hangers were painted. I have decided not to varnish the ones I have done. I want them to chip and age quickly. I will decorate with ribbons on the wire and make some felt wardrobe smellies to hang on them too and bob's your uncle!

I will try and get some more and do a bit of decoupage as a change. I got some pretty CK paper and napkins that will do the job nicely. I have also done a bit of sewing but I can't show you as It's going to someone.....and then lastly I have been finishing off this little project.

I bought this little dresser in an antiques store. It was whitewashed and I knew I could make it pretty. I thought it might make a nice jewellery holder. I seem to have so much of the blinkin' stuff all over the place that it needed to have a better home. I had been wanting to paint something this colour for a while and this dresser seemed like the perfect choice! I bought the cakes at the antiques store too, they are made from plaster.

So, that is my week so far. I hope to get a bit more of the cushion done over the weekend as it seems to be becoming an obsession, but this weekend is a full one so we'll see how we go on the crochet front!

Hope you all have a lovely one!


xxxxxxx

Rain Rain Go Away....

Come again another day......

Is there really any point to drying and styling your hair in the mornings for a day like today? A deceptive fine mist that leaves you soaked. Ah well, a warm house, a hot drink, a nice mag and peace and quiet for a couple of hours! Heaven!

I'm sure you have, but just in case you havn't......click on the cornishware button on the side bar for your chance to win a gorgeous Cornishware mug set!

Have a great day all xxx

Thrifty find

A little thrifty purchase, had to be at a bargain price of £1.50!

I thought it would match my christmas vintage cake stand made for me by my gorgeous friend Becca.....

Just need some cakes to go on it now...like I need any encouragement! ha ha!

You can see from this pic that I managed to get the granny sqaures cushion done! Yay! I did decide on another cushion filling to stuff it out a little more so it is tentatively sewn to be re-stuffed when I can get to the fabric shop to get one. But it looks lonely and it needs another pal, so the big blanket is on hold again to make way for a few more cushions! As if i don't have enough already that get thrown around by the boys, but hey, good exercise constantly picking them up off the floor and back on the sofas!

Coat hanger painting is on the agenda for this afternoon! Oooooooooh what fun! he he!

Have a lovely day all! xxx

GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY!!!!!!

Good morning fellow bloggers! I hope that you all had a great weekend! Welcome to February, and to start the month off, I am hosting my first giveaway! YAY!!!!

I had been thinking for a while about doing a giveaway on my blog. I was pondering on what to do when I was contacted by a lovely lady who works for Cornishware. She had seen my blog and realised I had a love of Cornishware and asked whether I would like to host a fantastic Cornishware Giveaway!

Well, as a MASSIVE Cornishware fan, how could I refuse?!!!!!

Now, I'm sure you lovely ladies are aware of the trademark blue and white stripe china.........

Ahhhhhh, looking at that makes me all dreamy!!!!!

I remember it in my childhood on my Grandmother's Dresser, and today, my son sees it adorning the kitchen of Fireman Sam's Firestation! So, this really is a truly iconic British classic!

I started to collect Cornishware about 2 years ago ( it fed my stripey obsession well! ), but soon realised it was really hard to get hold of. Very few shops stocked it and it was HUGELY sought after on ebay....one little jar went for £600!!!!! WOWZER

It seemed loved by so many and was so sad to see it was no longer being manufactured.

But, something great.....no....something fantastic was to happen.....read on....

T.G Green and Co first produced Cornishware in the 1920's. An employee said the blue and white reminded them of the blue sky and crested waves of cornwall, and Cornishware was born. Despite being a design classic, to rank up there with the Mini and the Robert's Radio, and having continued popularity, the factory was forced into administration in 2007. Luckily for all us fans, the company was bought by Charles Rickards who along with branding consultant Perry Haydn and his wife Vik (again lucky that she was big Cornishware collector herself!), they have brought Cornishware back to life.

I am sure I am not alone with a love of such a British Classic, but did you know that T.G. Green had a Cornishware site where you can buy direct from? Aha, well you do now! They started to sell the historical best sellers, but are introducing limited edition pieces and new designs. www.tggreen.co.uk is such a fantastic site. You can get such a vintage, nostalgic, heart racing fix, visiting it! Please do click on the link and pay a visit. You won't be disappointed! you can also sign up to a newsletter. They email once a month.....you don't get constantly bombarded with annoying emails. They keep you updated with news, freebies and offers (there is currently a holiday up for grabs on their site...well worth an entry!!!!)

Right, onto the giveaway!

As I said, Cornishware are adding to their range and up for grabs in my Giveaway is a GORGEOUS set of 4 mugs worth £40!!!!!!!!! These are first edition mug sets, a real collectors item.

Your mugs will feature the trademark blue and white, teamed with rich bold russet red, teal green and jet black. These are lovingly referred to as 'for the boys'. I am sure your other halves would be very happy to drink out of them! They will be delivered to you straight from the factory. How exciting!

Cornishware currently also do these in a 'for the girls range'

These are more seaside bunting tones. (Cornishware have very kindly allowed me to sample a set also, wowzer!)

As well as these sets, T.G. Green are doing a valentines set that consists of a set of two red stripe mugs.....ooooh yummy!

Hop on over to the site to grab those before they all go!

So, to win the GORGEOUS set of 4 'HIS MUGS', all you have to do is:

a) be a follower to my blog
b) Leave a message on this post to say you would like to enter the Giveaway competition!

The closing date will be midnight on the 10th February and I will pick a winner on the 11th. I will post reminders throughout the week to remind you if you have missed this post and you want to enter.

This really is a lovely giveaway, and thank you to Cornishware for their generosity of allowing one lucky winner the chance to have an iconic classic in their house! he he!

So 'gals, don't delay and leave a message, and hop on over to the site for a peek at all their gorgeous nostalgic and scrummy pieces!

Have a wonderful monday!

xxx

Sewing machine advice

Can anyone help out there in blogland? I am wanting to get a sewing machine that does freehand embroidery. Nothing too expensive but not a cheapie either. Have no idea where to start, so some suggestions would be welcome from anyone that can recommend a good one!

Have a great weekend all! xxx

Crazy head

This week has been a strange one. I have felt like achieving a lot, yet not much has been done. The mundane tasks have taken over this week, and any spare time has been spent indulging in my very big hooky obsession. I suppose I am a little frustrated at myself. For years I have wanted to learn how to crochet. Now I am slowly mastering it, I am annoyed somewhat that I choose to learn something that is not immediate! I have to conquer this annoyance I feel. On the flip side, I can't seem to get enough of it! It just means that all my spare time is taken up with crochet at the moment and all my other plans are pushed aside. Hopefully my cushions will be done soon so I can satisfy myself with seeing an end product! I tell myself my blanket is meant to be a big bed blanket and I only started it after christmas. I cannot expect miracles!

I currently sit in the evenings surrounded by around 15 balls of different coloured yarn, and it is such delicious fun, picking out colours to put together to produce a little square. I just sit there looking at them all, saying to everyone...'Arn't they just so lovely?'. I just get a look that tells me they are totally underwhelmed, think I am crazy and are a tad annoyed that the yarn has shoved them out of top spot for cuddles!

For those who asked in a recent post where the crochet picnic blanket came from....it was from this book

I went out and about today and indulged in a few bits and bobs. Okay, is it the first step to recovery if you admit you have a problem?!!!!!! My frugal month has hit a few glitches. I think I have been pretty good. The mammoth snow in made me save for a couple of weeks! No massive sale shopping, and just a few bits to tide me over...like shoes!

I went to my favourite antiques house today and got a few lovelies.

Another set of tins to paint.....I will get round to painting them soon! Some vintage spools to go with my other ones...

I could not resist this! I was restrained as there were a few, but it was so pretty and sparkly in the light.

These were not for me. A present for someone and I thought they were lovely.

I stopped by my local town near by and picked up a few crafty bits.

buttons, bows and ribbon, a must have

Now I don't know about you but I have a big hanger issue. I have a fair few clothes, hate the great big wooden hangers you get in bulk and hate the plastic shop ones. I got a set of these a couple of months ago and painted them. They are perfect. Slim with end hooks and I can fit a lot in my wardrobe. So, my plan, to have a multi-colour of lovely vintage style hangers in my wardrobe. I just bought lots of lovely paint samples and painted them. I won't varnish them as I think I would like them to look worn and battered and chipped through rigorous use! I thought I might even paper some. I always think, just because something is useful, does it have to look ugly?

And a bit of girly indulgence....just because I have been feeling a bit overrun with testosterone in this house and felt like a big girlie surge, so, what the heck, gorgeous sparkly beauties.

Many thanks for all the suggestions for what to do with my letters. It was even stevens for paper or paint and even a suggestion of covering with fabric. So, I think I might try a different approach with each word. If I ever get a moment away from the crochet to do them, I will show you the end result!

So, I feel refreshed today. Inspired to get cracking, there is a little bit of sunshine poking through and that lifts me!

Have a lovely day all!

xxx

Heaven

Good morning my fellow bloggers! Did you have a nice weekend? Yes? Then that's lovely! No? well, then I hope the week picks up for you!

My weekend was a nice one, although the plans I had, didn't come to fruition. Some lovely friends came over on Saturday evening and stayed for the night, so Saturday was spent doing a decent tidy of the house, saturday night was spent eating and drinking far too much, and sunday was spent having a very lazy morning, an afternoon walk then a lazy afternoon to recover from the walk!

My crochet squares never got blocked, but I now have become quite addicted to the the pinwheel granny squares I have been playing with. What I love about crochet and granny squares is the fun in choosing colour combinations. These pinwheel squares (as I call them, I'm sure there is a more proper name) are quick to make, very easy and I seem to be making a lot! So, as usual, a lot of squares but nothing is being done with them yet! I feel like I should be sewing up as I go along, but think I should do all the squares first to get all the colour combinations first. My aim is to make two cushions, so will keep you updated with my progress. My inspiration is this cushion, although mine will look rather sad compared with it, but I tell myself I am still a newbie to this craft!

I felt quite out of sorts yesterday. It was one of those days, I had a lot to do, didn't know what to do first, didn't feel like doing anything really, but felt like doing something! I can't explain it! Maybe you have those kind of days too! I truly believe in this SAD disorder that people talk about. I know it is laughed at, but this is such a depressing month, the constant grey-ness. I don't mind cold, I don't mind freezing, but I do need a little bit of sunshine. It has felt this month like the grey clouds have come down and scooped me up and I am lost in their grey fog. That's how my head feels. I need a little bit of sun to poke this grey-ness to boost me! In the meantime I will just have to use the internet to cheer me up!

I was cheered up to receive the sunshine award from two lovely people Bliss Knits and Sophie. Now I know that I am supposed to pass this on to 12 people and link back, but as I have said before, I think many of you may have received this award, so I will end the award here. There are so many lovely blogs out there, I discover something beautiful almost daily, the only problem being that it is taking me longer and longer to get through them on a daily basis and comment! I fear this blogging malarky may take over my whole life!

Two wonderful blogs if you don't already know about them are Sweet as Candy. This lovely blog led me to this lovely blog The Farm Chicks. And I am in heaven! I am straight off to Amazon to get this book

So, a bit of book ordering, daily house chores and maybe a bit of crochet thrown in and that sums up my day! I hope you all have a lovely one and the grey-ness is not getting to you!

xxx