Hello

Hello.

I'm finally got a chance to sit down and type. I've had a really hectic few weeks. But its all calmed down now, back to the normal routine of life, fresh new year.

The big thing in my life recently has been the concert my Hubby & I....I was going to say 'organised' but it was rather thrown together in the end!

Myself and 4 other friends sang for our congregation of friends and family. We wanted a 'jazz cafe' style event, something intimate, cosy, relaxed. We all sang songs by Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Etta James, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, some show tunes, some musical songs (well, 2 from Les Mis.) and easy-listening ones like that.

We hired out our local village hall, which is a traditional 'vintage' hall, complete with manky curtains and creaky stage floorboards!
It was perfect!
I wanted something posh but cheap, not something easily done, but on the invitations we stated that it was formal attire only and pretty much everyone made the effort to get dressed up in there best frocks and suits. My hubby, I must say, looked so dashing and handsome in his tuxedo, esp when he loosened his bow tie and just had it hanging down. Mmm Mmm!!
I made it cheap by adding on the invite to bring ones own nibbles and wine, that way, all we supplied were the refreshments in the interval. It worked fantastically!

I wanted some nice subdued lighting, fortunately the hall has these sweet little lantern lights that are strung across the rafters, and once the main lights were off these had the lovely glowy effect I wanted, still I needed to pretty up the tables...there were lots of card tables so we covered those with old tablecloths supplied at the hall, and I had made some wineglass lampshades, a genius idea from veronica, (thank you again!) and all the little tables had these on and it just looked so romantic and quaint!

I hardly have any left now as our friends and family were so impressed with them that I ended up giving them out as keepsakes, but they were so simple and easy to make.

I also made my own versions too, with different vintage pictures I found from 'the graphic fairy'

On the larger tables at the back I had decorated some gorgeous blue glasses, popped in a tealight candle, and they looked rather beautiful too. So simple, but sooo effective!

To my surprise, Hubby wanted to help out in making these decorations and was happy to sit cutting the shade templates out for me, putting the ribbon on the glasses too, and even had a go of some napkin decoupage! although we did end up dropping that design as the print of the sheet music napkins I had got didn't match up and look right on the finished shade. however, I did make a shade for myself, with a Cath Kidston 'classic rose' patterned napkin and it is just so pretty! I'm keeping it in my bathroom!

Anyway, our Evening, (which was on Saturday 8th Jan) went so well, we've been asked to do it again! especially since many invited ones couldn't make it due to illness.
29 out of 95 couldn't make it as they had colds, virus' and flu. Its so prevalent at the moment.

My own little family have all had awful sickness bugs and then horrible colds. We've been fortunate to not have that awful swine flu, or any other flu as of yet.

Anyway, because I was so nervous and had such a busy brain on Saturday I forgot my camera, so I don't have any photo's of the actual evening, the hall, the stage etc to share with you, although a friend of mine took some and I've yet to see them. I can't wait, as i really was amazed at how good we got it to look!

As I was uploading photos from my camera, I also saw some cute pictures I'd forgotten about, my youngest son, painting his wooden kit car, I just love that concentration!

Only other things I have made I can't share with you yet, as they a gifts yet to be given!
oh.. except, I covered a seat cushion for my hall storage bench. I had such a troublesome time with it, just making it up as I went along, and made a 'pig's ear of it' as my Mum would say!

It looks ok here, but you do not want to see the mess I made underneath it! haha!!

My cat has adopted this as his new throne, so it is covered with his muddy little pawprints and hairs.

He normally lays right across it. He is a huge cat, and its rather a perfect size for him!
next to it, we have a nice little hall table we found, and on it at present is my orange roses, that I had on the stage on Saturday.
I wouldn't normally choose Orange, but the curtains in the hall were a dark orange colour, so these bright yellowy-orange roses stood out nicely on a white table. (a close up shot of them are at the beginning of post) but I am determined this year to be more colourful. To notice the colours around me and appreciate them, and be more colourful and 'daring' or experimental with colours in my crafts.

Anyway, that's all I have to share for now. I hope you are having a good start to your fresh new year. I'm slowly getting there, back into the swing of things.

I've got lost of new projects in mind that I can't wait to get started on next week, so I will be back when I have something to show!

Take Care Xx