settled in and loving life and home

Hello friends,
I am back to the blogosphere!

We have had a really lovely summer, settling into our new home and discovering the delights of our surroundings and neighbourhood. Let me share with you some views...

 

(My bedroom window, the view I wake up to every morning...

this morning there was a blue tit and a robin that came to rest briefly on the lilac tree in my view,

which was a sight that made my heart skip with joy)

 

 

(building a den in the garden with my boys...)

 

 

(fields that surround our back garden...)

 

 

(my hanging baskets at the front of my home...)

 

 

my cat, Charlie loves our new home and this is one of his favourite spots!

 

(our lounge/living room, in the afternoon sunlight...

often when I sit here I can see a squirrel skitting about it the treetops,

 jumping from branch to branch, tree to tree)

 

(my kitchen dining area (and ironning!) in the morning sunshine)

 

Although we have only moved somewhat down-the-road from our previous home, just 4 miles away,
we seemed to have re-discovered the area, with the little 'beach' just a short minute or two walk away from us -

 

Hubby takes his canoe, and we meet friends on the beach who also have little boats, (one of them owns a beach hut there and the pontoon) we go out in the boats, one is a speed boat and we love to whizz over the water...

 I say 'beach' as it really is a pitiful size! and not pretty, in fact its ugly, has too much seaweed, dodgy flotsum and jetsom. However, we went over yesterday evening, and I was amazed at how a blue cloudless sky and the following sunset can change the normally ugly little beach into a place of beauty and charm!

(sometimes I take a cuppa and a warm bread bagette with nutella with me)

 

Its quite a thing- a blessing I think-  to sit of an evening, with the salty sea breeze in my hair, the sunset glowing bringing a beautiful end to the day, watching my boys running up and down the pontoon...everytime I take a book, a letter I'm writing, or crochet to do, and I never have yet been able to concentrate, and ending up just watching and playing with my boys, chatting with friends and taking hundreds of photo's!!!)

 

 

 

building sandcastles in the still hot fading sunlight

 

 

 

 

 

views of the moorings at the Estuary...I'd love to call it a Quay or a Habour, but its neither of those really! and once the tide returns, we're left with mud and seaweed! but it's still is a lovely sight in the twilight!

I feel really and totally at home here, and I feel so content and happy. Which with all the financial troubles and stresses and depression I suffered with in the past few years, is a blessed relief!
The seasons are turning now here in England, and I can see a few leaves on the trees turning a golden yellow already, but the summer is holding out and this week we have have some gorgeously hot days, and beautiful warm evenings.
My boys have returned to School now, and although my days have been busy this past week with apointments, errands etc, I am looking forward to having time to get making again, and filling up my poor neglected Etsy shop which has been empty all summer as all my little makes sold! which filled my heart with glee!

Well, I am signing off now as we are about to go Kayaking on the river, as we haven't been out in them much since living here!
I hope you have a lovely weekend too where ever you are and making the most of your surroundings and little blessings in life!

Oh. before I go a friend of mine, Nicola has just set up a little blog, please pop over and visit her here!

Bye for Now
Emma Xx

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to pop in and update you all.
I'll be very quiet in these next few weeks/month as we are moving house!

We are downsizing to a tiny little cottage/bungalow, that I have already fallen in love with despite its smallness and faults (yucky coloured bathroom suite, no central heating, mole ridden garden!)

I cannot wait to start our new life in it.
Life will still be challenging and things will still be hard financially for us, but this move has alleviated a lot of bills and financial stress.

Since it is so much smaller we have been selling lots of possessions, which has been so very liberating and rewarding!
We had a yard sale last weekend, and raised £94 ($147/ R1208/ 120euro) and that was just from back garden junk!!
So this weekend we are having another one selling our furniture etc.

We took unwanted clothes to a recycle centre where they pay you per kilo, and we got £40 for about 5 bags.
Hubby and I have been selling bits on Ebay and some items have sold so quickly our mobile phones informed us of the sell as the pc hadn't refreshed the page yet!!
I sold a Cath Kidston duvet cover, that as much as I love it, I need to get rid of covers and I hoped that because that one was branded it would sell...I didn't think immediately though!!!

Our new home is just 5 miles away from our current village, and is much closer to the shops and amenities, work etc, and my boys qualify for school transport, so I don't have to move them to a different school, so that's worked out well.

Its been a crazy few weeks, and just a week ago we had got the bungalow! and we'd only decided to move at the beginning of this month!!

our back garden

back of the cottage from the garden

So its all been very fast.

view of fields from side of cottage

view down the lane from our drive

My Etsy shop has done well, I've had 3 sales since I set it up and I can't wait to get settled in and making some more stock!!

living room/lounge

trees surrounding our new home

I recently went to our village horticultural show which had a competition section for handmade toys, so I entered 'Annie-Rose', and she got 2nd Prize (just a card saying 2nd prize, no actual prize!!) 

the dog won 1st prize. I believe it was also just a card saying 1st, and no actual prize or trophy!

Anyway, I'd better got on with packing! arrgghh! 

Have a lovely weekend, 

and I'll be back in a month or so 

Take Care Xx

Etsy Shop Now Officially...Open!

Hi All,

I'd love to say what a busy girl I've been making tons of stock for my Etsy shop, however I have been rather distracted with other projects and just life in general.
The past few months have been a bit hectic as its seems the school wants to hold a special day for just about every occaision that comes along!
Anyway, I digress, today I Officially opened my shop!
I hastily actually opened it a few weeks ago in a vain attempt to show my sister my Etsy shop! (we were on the phone at our PC's!!)
My one little bunny sat there listed all by her self, only one photo of her!
So today, finally my step-daughter returned my camera to me and I set to taking pics and writing posts for my little cuties!
You've seen Rosie in my last post, let me show you...Robbie

He's slightly bigger but still cute!

Then we have his littlest sister, Annie-Rose

aww! isn't she sweet?! 

She's a bit smaller than Rosie, and is made with brushed pure white yarn, so she's soft and fluffy!

and then we have a little Orphan Baby Owl! 

awww just too cute!!! He's made from soft, bobbly wool, it was quite difficult to crochet with, as I couldn't make out the stiches! In the end I couldn't count the stitches, so I just 'blagged' it, made him up as went along! and I'me very pleased with how he turned out!!

Please feel free to pop on over and have a look, and if you feel tempted here's a little decision maker for you...just for my Blog Followers here's a coupon code for 10% off any item! 

Hope you've got a good week ahead and thanks for reading

Take care

Em Xx

Return from the dark side...*long post warning*

Hi there.
Once again I have been away from my little Blog for far too long and i fear no-one is going to read any more. 
I have been rather inspired and en-heartened by my dear friend, Bonnie's recent post, re: Things I'm afraid to tell you. You know the first lady who blogged it is calling it a 'movement' now, as everyone is blogging it!
Isn't it refreshing..but please i hope the pretty perfect loveliness doesn't end, after all, we all need something to coo and ahh over, and be inspired by. 


Anyway, I should tell you why I have been absent.
I have a few drafts in my post lists, one of them starts 
"I'm not going to apologise for my absence... I'm not in the best of moods. So please bear with me, while I share some makes with you, while I fester in my pendulous and tumultuous mood." 


I'm glad I didn't carry on with the post!! 


I have been absent because I am hiding. Hibernating, festering!
I am suffering with quite a severe depression. The medication I was prescribed brought complications and so I was prescribed a different one and this one has not even 'touched' it! I have even wondered if I've been given a placebo! 
I can't really say what has triggered this bout. Its been getting worse since the year started.
(its a mix of couple of different things-that I can't do anything about- but I'd rather not share publicly!)
 I thought, and hoped, I would perk up once Spring came, but alas, here in England we've had nothing but grey skies and rain. 
For all of April and this month so far. The forecast I have heard for the rest of the month is not any better. One Newspaper headline declared it was going to be "Winter Until June" . 
So, that's rather dire isn't it. 
I have however been making odd bits and pieces. 
I think of the things I've made and not yet shared, and just going to the bother of photographing them - lighting conditions are horrendous - that I give up! 
But, a few weeks ago, there was bit of late afternoon sun, so as it set, I grabbed my camera and set to capturing my little makes. 
I am intending in gradually building up a bit of stock to sell and start a little Etsy shop. 
I have been spurred on by encouragement by some friends who have seen my makes and also by one who after seeing a little make for my son, commissioned me to make her son one, and then days later has commissioned me to make another for another little boy who wants one. 
Let me get on and show you hey?!!

Say Hi to Yoda. 

( may I just note that I will not sell him commercially as he is a copyrighted character, I made him from my own interpretation of the character and accepted payment for the costs and labour!) 

Ooh get me with the small print!! 

So yes, i made him up as i went along after a while of browsing 'google' for images of 'amigurumi yoda'

most of them were a bit to 'simple' for my liking. 

He is made from DK yarn, (stylecraft special dk if I'm precise) with a 2.5mm hook. 

Yes.....my finger/hands/wrist ached for days after!!

I did worry as I as i was making him up as I go along he was looking too much like a frog... then once the ears went on, he looked like a gremlin (albeit toothless)

http://images.wikia.com/gremlins/images/9/9b/Stripe_bobble_head_figure.jpg

*shudder* they still creep me out!! 

but once I added the fluff for the wisps of hair, and the nose and mouth bit, which was tricky, 

he looked a bit more like the actually little wisened dude himself

so he was my first paid comission and now i have to remember how to made him again!!

Her are some other amigurumi (small crocheted toys) I have made as gifts

here is a little Elephant i made for a friend's little boy. 

I got the pattern from here after seeing it on a google search for an amigurumi elephant. 

I made him slightly different by adding fabric to his ears and

feet

the little toddler loved it, and shyly cuddled him and marched him across his Daddy's shoulders!

He too is made from grey DK, with a 3mm hook i think! (can't remember now)

then I made this little chap...

a minion from the film 'Despicable me'

(actually i made him first, he was my first attempt at Amigurumi)

from this blogger

he was so easy to make but now my little son wants the whole minion army!! or at least one with two eyes or teeth!

My favourite creation of amigurumi yet, is Rosie

She's just so pretty!!

and cute

I used this pattern and again I modified her to my own liking, i.e using pretty fabric on her feet

rather than felt as the pattern says and also used a contrast thread to sew the fabric on. 

and I used felt for her eyes instead of safety buttons, as I didn't have any at the time!

I have since made her a brother, using the grey wool that Elephant is made from, and he -Robbie - came out bigger! despite using the same hook! 

Rosie is made from cream Sirdir Snuggly baby wool, so she's extra soft and cuddly! 

She was a little joy to make and I'll be hard pushed to sell her as I intended!!

and finally, I just wanted to share with you a cushion I made for my Mum. 

Both my Grandparents have passed away now, Granddad died in February, and last month they would have celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary. 

So, I made this to help mum feel better!

first I downloaded a lovely photo from my Auntie's FaceBook album, it wasn't very good quality as it was scanned, but it is so 'them'! 

I then edited it with Picnic, now sadly gone, and I added the lyrics from one of 'their' songs, 'Look at Us'

I then printed the photo onto photo transfer paper,..then I reversed the image, and printed it again!!! D'Oh!

then I ironed it onto natural cotton, and added it to this pretty cushion cover I made, and edged it with cream crochet lace trim. 

Here it is... 

words say " ....If you want to see how True Love should be

.....Then Look at Us "

Poor Mum shed a little tear when she saw it! and its sits proudly in her home for all to see! 

Well, thats all from me for now, I'll try not to keep away so long next time, these long catch up posts take me so long to do!!! 

i hope you enjoyed this post, and please feel free to leave a comment 

Take Care

Em Xx