Monday 6 December 2010

A Little Bit Of Sunshine...

Hi There,
I hope you had a good weekend. Mine went in a bit of a blur!! Don't they always!
However, despite the freezing cold temperatures we endured, the ice and frost, and the
pale greyish sky, I had my own little bit of sunshine delivered to me on Saturday, in the form of a parcel from my best friend, Bonnie.
I must admit I had been really down in the dumps the last few days, and she always times these friendship parcels just so perfectly, and I feel thoroughly warmed and cheered!

Every year we celebrate our Friendship anniversary, based on when we first sent correspondence to each other, all those 13 years ago, in October 1997.
We still write but instead of wacky, pretty, colourful stationery paper we now write in notebooks, they are literally like novels!!
We also both have had the privilege of meeting each other, which I'm sure I've mentioned before. I went to visit Bonnie in South Africa in 2006, and Bonnie came to visit me in 2008.
She more than a pen-friend, she's my best friend.
I really love the things she sent me, most of it was all handmade by herself, and that makes it all the more special and personal.
I wish I'd thought of taking photo's as I unwrapped it as everything was wrapped up so cute!
But here is all is laid out on my table

 click on the pix to see them bigger!
I really do just love every little thing, love the little mobile phone holder at the front there, that fits my phones perfectly! and so many embellishments, tags, crocheted flowers, paper flowers, felt flower, a little notebook, a adorable little blackbird, my favorite rooiboos skincare products...the only thing Rooiboos or Red Bush we have here is Tea, but these skincare products are just fabulous! Bon had sent me shower gel and body moisturiser before and I just loved it so much, so I can't wait to use these bits.

Here's some up close pics of the mobile phone holder, crocheted flowers, and other embellies that I just loved the colours of.

Lurrrrrve the vintagey buttons, peals, gems, stamps, mini cards and the cute little crocheted pebble warmer!! My little son had really taken a shine to this, especially since my eldest son put a wibbly-wobbly eye on it, he carried it all the way to school today, and despite my putting it back on display as soon as he puts it down, he soon gets it back again, its currently 'sleeping' in his jeans pocket at present!!
So Thank you so much my dear friend for such generosity, and for your loyal, supportive, stead-fast friendship.

As you know also, I have been taking part in Bonnie's flower class, and the lesson I wanted to learn the most - the crocheted flower - has certainly proved to be the most challenging lesson! I almost gave up...but then I realised that perhaps I wasn't in the best of moods and frame of mind to be taking on something new, and pretty much sulked with my knitting all last week...until disaster struck!!
Thursday evening, I came to the end of my ball of wool, so the next day, I trudged to my local craft shop, and horror of horrors, the wool had been discontinued!!! Is that really difficult to match colour -I call it a dusky duck egg blue, they call it soft teal.
So, I moodily plunged through the bargain bin to look for something to take home!! and I came across so cotton yarn, such a lovely ice blue, and another one in a soft lime-ish green.

There was a sales 'advisor' there, who gave me the impression that I was out of my depth!!
She said that all double knit wool/yarn is the same thickness and that's regardless of what it's made from. Well, missy, you're wrong!! As when I tried the crocheted flower again, with my double knit cotton yarn, it FELT finer and it IS finer!!
I have made lovely little flowers!! Because I FINALLY got it!! it just twigged!
My first one I admit went a little wrong but I know why, but I actually rather like it, I'm calling it a 'snow flake' !!

Then I tried a few more, using this yarn and the yarn Bonnie sent me and here are my fabby, chuffed-to-bits-with-myself crocheted flowers


My favourite is the one on the bottom left, I added a little pearl Bon had sent too.
Then I just got the bug, and sat all evening, making these addictive little flowers, here's some more

So, then, I got a little adventurous and tried a double petalled one, it did go a little wrong, so I simply sewed the inner petals to be closer together, and then I tried and lacy, wavy one, by having a 'shell' of stitches on every stitch, and I thought that was ok. Not brilliant, but ok!!!

                                              wavy one on the left, double petalled on the right

                                                         And here they all are together

So today, I popped back to the craft shop, and got some more bargain bin yarns, including 'bamboo' wool and 'soya' yarn!! All in such soft pretty colours.
I do love the wool section! I love seeing all the colours, but its just so expensive!
I try to get the half price stuff! Oh and yesterday, on EBay, I found my discontinued wool!!! So I will be able to finish my knitting project soon!! yay!! I do love EBay sometimes!!

Talking of fab websites, if you haven't already pleeeeeease do pop over to Bonnie's new beautiful website, where you can get you're own goodies like mine!!


Click on the button here to go visit her brand new website

Well, I hope you all have a good week. I must say I'm quite glad the snow has virtually gone from our area now, and that the kids are back to school!!
Although it is still literally freezing. Last night it was -3, and all day today its been 0!
I am were thick woollen tights, thick boot socks, jeans, and two jumper dresses (yes I look ridiculous!) and I'm still cold!
Time to get cozy in front of the wood stove, cuddled up in my blanket and absorb myself in some crocheting! (and Shrek 4!!)

Take Care Xx

3 comments:

Bonnie said...

Hi Em!!!
It's so fantastic that you got the crochet flowers right!! They are really beautiful! I love them with the little half pearl on! I am so proud of you for striving to succeed!! That is my motto-try and try again! I am very impressed with your double petal flower, I tried to make one (actually the one that is on your bag!) but it didn't really work...I thought it was pretty still that is why I sent it to you but I still want to try and get them right.

I am so glad you like the gift goodies! I tried really hard to send stuff I thought you would like but that would also be useful and handmade!

Thank you for your kinds words my friend!

Bonnie said...

shrek 4 is cool! before I forget, didn't you tell me about a movie called " The time travelers wife" a while ago? I am sure it was you that told me, anyway I watched it the other night..quite good and sad but the plot was a bit dim! And I watched @The last song -we both sat and bawled! It is just like the book by Nicolas Sparks-very good!

S Glup said...

Oh how sweet...you got alot of precious goodies....talk about beautiful work....I love those crochet flowers, maybe one day I'll take the time to learn and make them:0) Beautiful work...TFS

}}HUGS{{,
Sheri G