This and That......

Not very word heavy today. A post of 'this and that'. I've been away. I've come back. It was lovely. I'm overwhelmed with the mess in my house. I've tried to enjoy moments crocheting my current WIP (Oh my word, loving it, but really nervous it's going to be pants when it's put together....cue disappointment city), but the house needs my attention, so the guilt factor is 

E N O R M O U S

For summer, the weather has been utter pants, well, the few decent days, I haven't been available to enjoy. I'm still waiting. I need a few consecutive days of good weather to haul my dresser outside to sand and re-paint. Although, I see the weather report states a month's worth of rain in two days coming very shortly. I think I need to emigrate to sunnier climbs (southern UK, I'm sorry, but you're really not doing it for me this year......I'm a tad disappointed with you).

I have crocheted a little. I have baked. I have shrieked (I shamefully confess) at finding aqua pressed glass ( I mean, aqua....and pressed all together....like dreamland to me). I shrieked a little more at finding a turquoise pressed flower vase also. Seriously, I'm quite sad, but they helped take away the grey day weather blues. I bought up craft supplies for Baby Bear and I, and I shrieked (yes, I know, again, and it's getting a little embarrassing) at Yvestown's INGENIOUS CD/DVD storage idea. Because of that, I have freed up a couple of shelves in a cabinet to house more of my rubbish. Happy me.

Hopefully my little crochet WIP project will be finished by the end of this week and I can find out if it's thumbs up or thumbs down. Eeek.

 Be back soon.....

xxx

Two Halves.....

A week of two halves.

Gaining control of some things and losing control of others.

Satisfying, yet irritating.

Taking a step forward.....taking two steps backwards.

Just that sort of week. 

I have a poorly car, and a very booked up garage. It has meant walking everywhere, which isn't a bad thing for my fitness levels, but it has to have been on such a blustery and rainy week. Typical. It has NOT been a good look for me! Think long haired cat that foolishly tip toes around a fish tank and then falls in. That look when they emerge, well, I have been rocking that look all week.

Frustrations of the crafty kind. Making something for someone and not being happy with the colour choice, so ripping it all back, having a colour re-think and doing it all again.

Finally....sort of......deciding on how to decorate my living room. I have decided on furnishings, but still haven't decided on my wall shade. My favourite shade, (I had a small sample left from a rusty old tin in my shed), I tried to get colour matched. Turns out the DIY store colour match systems are fairly pants. What the gentleman described as an exact match in the store, translated to being about 20 shades far removed from what I wanted. Urgh. Annoying. I think I just need to paint my wall any old colour now and be done with it. I have spent a ridiculous amount on tester pots and all to no avail.


I am currently loving all the recent Spring magazine issues. I gave up buying magazines regularly a few years ago, and really only purchase Country Living and Country Homes and Ideas if they look really appealing. My oh My, they have been tickling the old taste buds of late. Very inspiring and full of gorgeous Spring colour. It puts my head in a little spin of glee. I'm a bit sad I admit.

I have been trying very hard to eat healthily too, (thank you for your recipe Annette,on your blog. It has become one of my lunchtime staples!). I'm trying to adopt some strategies from Deliciously Ella. The key to her routine though is organisation which she reiterates a lot throughout the book. Errrr, that's really not my strongest point, and I'm not sure ANYTHING in that book would appeal to the Bears. But, I shall persevere and see if I can make small changes. I'm really craving a Mars Bar at this point in the day though.......and a few tasty cake books are just taunting me in view as I type. *please pretty please willpower stay with me*

Don't you just love that line.......'full of the flavour of April and May flowers'.......It sold it to me. It's lovely with hot water and a dash of lemon. Good for the throat and good for the system.

Thank you for all your comments on my last post. I loved reading them. Glad I can make people chuckle!!!!!!!

Have a lovely weekend......

xxx

Indulgence, WIP's and a Ta-Dah........

I have had been waiting for this Half Term for quite some time. Life has been REALLY busy over the past 6 months. I haven't really stopped. I've lost my weekends for the time being, so I don't get a day where I'm not up really early and rushing about. I had been waiting......longing......for a week where I could have a few lazy mornings, and a few days to just potter.......and be.

I sort of realised that it was probably going to be a bit of an indulgent week. A week full of naughty treats and sneaky bites.

Well, bread has been made.......a lot. No Pics for that. It didn't last long enough. Warm bread needs to be buttered and eaten fairly quickly in this house. 

I have been trying out different methods. Some have worked.....some have not. We have all eaten a lot of bread this week. I think I have grown twice as wide in seven days, but hey ho, I didn't really want to care.

Lattes. I LOVE them. Warm and frothy. Keeping chills at bay, and feeling very relaxed. A fair few have been made and lovingly sipped. It's been so nice to just sit....be silent......sip.......and think. 

Eeek, scones and clotted cream popped into my grocery basket. My excuse was that I had so many little jam pots to use up (I need the jam jars for a crafty project I'm planning later on in the year). Really indulgent and naughty......but super nice.

It has also been a week for finishing things, carrying on with things, and making plans.

So my Ta-dah.......

Well, that's my Block Scarf

Just a simple shell pattern scarf. I wanted a bit of texture instead of flat lines, and I just wanted blocks of colour. I had seen a picture of some bedding on Pinterest here in shades of pink, ochre, white and brown. I thought they were such a nice combination, that I took inspiration and ordered some Drops Cotton Merino in shades 01 (white) 05 (powder pink) 12 (brown) and 15 (mustard).

I used 50g each of white and brown. 100g of mustard and about 75g of pink.

The yarn is simply gorgeous to work with. It was so soft, you almost couldn't feel it gliding through your fingers. It was the first time I had used it, and I shall definitely be using it again in other projects. The colour range is nice, and the colours themselves in the yarns are lovely. It's not the best picture, granted, but maybe if you look super hard, you can see there is a slight dimension in the colour. It almost could look a little speckled. The cotton thread is slightly noticeable running through the wool...and it's really pretty.

I made it really quite long in length, as I like to be able to wrap my scarves around the neck twice. It's lovely and soft and warm too.

So, another make ticked off.

I have spent a lot of the week, bed lounging. For me, it's the ultimate indulgence. It's also a safe place to retreat to when the Bears are home and taking over the whole house. It's my little space to be quiet, lay all my projects all over the bed. Sit with a cuppa and ponder over crafting stuff.

I told myself that I couldn't start on anything new until I had finished the Sunshine Day Blanket. It was my intention to carry on with it towards the latter part of the half term break. However, my mind is flitting here, there and everywhere. I bought a great little stool this week. Cheap and cheerful with wooden little legs and a toadstool type cushioned seat pad. Fabulously, it already came with a crocheted cover, but alas, it was black.........and I struggle with black for the most part (except weirdly, I'm becoming really attatched to the idea of a big wall of black ikea ribba frames, and I have just bought a black storm lantern). Maybe there will be a slight turn around like my loathing of pumpkin orange.

Anyway, I digress. I found some gorgeous pink chunky yarn in my sort out this week, and  MAN ALIVE, it was perfect for a stool makeover. I think it was wendy Mode chunky yarn. As soon as I discovered it, they discontinued it. Argh, the perfect pink in a chunky yarn, HOW COULD THEY DO THAT?

So, my head is thinking a nice new pink cover that would compliment the chunky little wooden legs well.

Also, this week, on my Ikea visit, I picked up a handy little big french style raffia bag for £2. IT's very handy, but it's very plain.....so......my head is thinking cross stitching on the front to cheer it up. I've got a pattern ready to embroider, I just need to make time for it now.

I picked up a lovely little vintage eiderdown a few weeks back from my local antique shop. A paisley print in duck egg blue was just what I had been searching for. It was a steal too. I was a little 'Phoebe' when I saw it, and whispered to thank the eiderdown gods for throwing it my way that day!

I figure though, that, it should sit with something to compliment it. I'm thinking a ripple in the same shades. It's my mission to get some colour matches and then make a start.

But, although my head is craftily racing with idea after idea, I need to concentrate on the Sunshine Day Blanket, and push to get it finished. I love how this blanket is coming on. The bright colours pop against the mid grey, but I got so disheartened after realising that when I thought I was almost finished, turned out I was only halfway done. I need to gee myself up again to just go for it.

I ADORE these little Motifs

And a sock photo bomb because it was quite clearly a pink and grey day for me.

This week has been much needed. I have felt relaxed. I have pottered, and I have seriously indulged. It has all been much needed though. Come Monday, things go back to being rushed and hurried.....and OH MY WORD I need to be good on the food front!

I shall have lovely memories to carry me through though, and nice makes to have shown for it. What more can I ask for?

Happy Weekend All

xxx

P.S. Thank you for all your kind messages with regards to my Bella Wrap make. I know that some of you had trouble accessing the pattern on Belinda's site, but if you didn't catch my edited bit on the last post, it is up there again for sale as an instant PDF digital download. I know a lot of you loved the pattern too. I know also, that some of you lovely peeps thought I was a tad harsh on my comments of the stylecraft yarn. I am an advocate of acrylic yarn. I make big blankets, and I would be bankrupt if I only used the expensive stuff. I know that Lucy from Attic24 uses it for her blankets and highly recommends it. I haven't really worked with stylecraft yarn much, as my local yarn shops don't stock it. I have used a couple of balls of DK for projects for others and it has been fine. I mix and match my acrylic yarns, as, I have said before, I have found that different dyes can affect the feel and look of the yarn, even in the same brand style. It could well be that this colour way in this super chunky yarn was not its best one in the range. I'm all for  seeing and feeling the WHOLE colour range. Yet, I stand by what I said. I wouldn't recommend this colour and yarn for this project. My own personal opinion. I'm sure others may use and think it's terrific. Good job we are all different. What a boring place it would be if we weren't!