Morning!!

Hello there,
I've just returned from the daily power walk to and from taking my son to school.
 which is just a 5 minute walk away from our house.
Its such a pleasure to be able to walk to school rather than drive for 10 minutes to the previous school 
What I am also enjoying is on the walk, every time we pass someone we are greeted with a cheering "Morning!" greeting, which is new to us.
At the previous school in town we got a weak smile or grimace if we said 'Hello' or 'morning' to anyone.




Lately I have been trying really hard to keep up with my housekeeping. anyone that knows me knows I have good intentions but get very distracted easily and so housework is always a real challenge for me!!

I'd really love to be one of these domestic goddesses, or like a 1950's housewife. this picture really appeals to me for some reason. its like a deep yearning within me to be in a dress and pinny and happily maintaining my house with a smile on my face....and i am trying!
For starters, I have been wearing dresses and skirts more!! ahaahahaahaha! that's my first step! and second step, wearing an apron (pinny) every time i clean and do cook!! yay! less tops with stains on them!!
although i do seem to be failing in the '..with a smile' part!


I have picked up some brilliant tips that I would like to share...


#1 : after cleaning and disinfecting your bin, and every subsequent time you empty the liner, wipe around the inside and out quickly with a few drops of tea tree oil on a piece of paper towel and then pop it in the liner.
It leaves the bin fresh smelling and clean for days.
Tea tree oil is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-septic and anti-viral. and it has quite a nice fresh (although a bit pungent and almost medicinal) scent to it. and its nice that every time some thing goes in the bin and fresh clean scent wafts out to you!!


#2 : Put a few drops of bleach in a little pot and mix with Bicarbonate of Soda to form a paste and with a toothbrush, scrub your tile grouting and it comes up lovely and clean and white again.I did this to my shower tiles and it got rid of all the orangey colour and black bits of mildew.


#3 Mix into a spray bottle half and half of water and white vinegar, and clean your windows and mirrors with it, and finish with a buffing of scrunched up old newspaper. The shine is wonderful.
I also use newspaper to buff up my kitchen sink after I've cleaned it and its an amazing sparkle (to a stainless steel sink might I add!!)


 #4 : Put one cup (microwave safe one) of vinegar in the microwave and put it on for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the cup as it'll be hot and simply wipe inside the microwave with a damp clean cloth and the specks and splatters will simple wipe off, No scrubbing and rubbing!! amazing! 
I've always dreaded cleaning the microwave as its such an awkward thing to clean, but with this method, the steam does the work for you! Love it!


So they are my favourite top tips at the moment. I have to make sure I leave the home well ventilated after cleaning with vinegar as Hubby complains about the smell!! But I love the results after using it.
And one of my favourite product to use is Homecare's "Bar Keepers Friend". I use it on my ceramic hob and my sink and it has a amazing shine after. 

Do you have any top tips for cleaning? any favourite products. esp eco-friendly ones? 
Please share them with me, I'd love to hear them. 


We went away last weekend in our little caravan, Ellie. I love caravanning!!
I have been wanting to renovate it, or spruce it up a bit from the dull beige, terracotta and green colour scheme. I have been looking for inspiration, but i have a tiny budget and boys, so anything too pretty is out of the question!! 
Hubby started painting the inside walls, with left over paint he has in the shed, an off/ creamy white and I searched for the perfect fabric to replace the curtains with. 
at first we were going to go for a light blue and white colour scheme, but the sofa's are a pale green, and I haven't the skill or funds to reupholster them, and the big crochet blanket I made is Far Too big...anway, i found a delightful pale sage green polka dot fabric, and so finding it on Ebay half the price than my local stockist ( Love Ebay!) I ordered it. It came promptly last Thursday and on Friday, after quickly packing for the weekend, I set to making the curtains. 
I only intended to make the front curtains but i got in the zone and did them all!!! 
hubby was most amazed and impressed!
I love my sewing machine, although it feels strange calling it 'My' sewing machine, when it was my Mum's. She replaced it years ago with a new Brother machine, and this almost 30 year old machine (correct me if I'm wrong on the age Mum! only i think you had it when you made my younger sister's crib, am I right?) 
anyway, it went to my older sister's, only for it to sit abandoned as "something was wrong with the tension". and she carried on using her ancient Singer that she sits and winds by hand!! 
So, I managed to eventually get my hands on it,(esp since i needed a sewing machine, my cheap one had given up, and i discovered that Mum's old one was a good, reliable make) and it sat waiting in my utility, unused, for well over a year, waiting to have the time, money and memory to take it to be serviced. 


Anyway, in desperation, I dragged the machine out, dusted and cleaned it, turned it on. frowned. looked around and over it. sighed. and went online to find any info I could on it. I found a manual. downloaded it, and discovered that my sister had been threading it up wrong! The tension was fine and off I set to work!
Its a lovely machine, ok, she doesn't like going backwards, and occasionally like to unthread herself, naughty girl isn't she!! but we seem to have a mutual understanding now! 
She's a Frister + Rossmann Beaver, and oh my does she beaver away at the work! She sounds a little clunky but its just her own tune really! 
Together we did a marvellous job of the curtains and I'm hoping this is the start of a beautiful new relationship, working together to create lovely things! Heehee!! 
I haven't any photo's yet of them up in the caravan as I want Hubby to finish painting, and i need to make a replacement divider curtain, and some tie-backs and some cushion covers... i did start making one (see previous post) but it doesn't actually got with the colours now. it didn't look right in there. 
I am also making a new granny square blanket/throw for the sofa's, in the right colours, and found the exact colours I needed all quite cheaply. Using Stylecraft's Special DK yarn, which I love as I made my big blanket from the same yarn. 
I've been wanting to make a granny squares blanket for ages,and now i finally am! I love it, I now know the joy of happy little stacks!! 


Here's my stack, and bits I've done so far...

The floral fabric is for the cushion covers and dividing curtain. I think it will satisfy my need for feminine, prettiness!

I think its been one of my most satisfying and prettiest projects ever!

I am just in love with these colours right now!!

Also, as promised, Here's is my son's blanket I made for him. I used Sirdir's snuggly baby wool and King Cole baby wool, so its immensely soft and snuggly, he absolutely loves it! 

I love this cute bobble stitch edging

                                      Its about the size of a single bed cover

As I said we went away for a little weekend break, (Gosh this is going to be a long post!!)

it was one of the most enjoyable times away in the caravan we've ever had. We went visited Sheringham in Norfolk, and to Cromer too. 

We visited the steam train station

here's me doing the obligatory 'standing in front of train' pose!

I love all the old suitcases and vintage sign's there

and what do little boys do when they see a big stack of old suitcases??

Have a peek inside of course!!

We visited 'Pete's Bookshop' too, which is my all time favourite bookshop. It has over 20,000 books in this one little house converted to a bookshop! I did take one sneaky little pic! I daren't take more in case I was told off! hee hee! I always feel naughty taking photo's in shops!! not that I've ever been caught or told off!! haha!

I found one of my favourite childhood books too, Dogger. 

On the Sunday we went to the beach as we had planned, sadly it was an overcast and windy day, still we had fun...

What more could you want?!! 

Well, I wish I'd taken my crochet with me, but Hubby had convinced me it would get all sandy! So I spent a lot of time searching for pebbles and nice stones! 

my boys trundling off down to the sea edge

it looks really stormy here!!

and trundling back again ladened with bucket full of seawater!

Since then I have been so busy with housework and laundry. Also we have my step-son staying with us for a few weeks as Uni has ended for the summer. He is sleeping in the caravan on the drive, so we haven't been able to get in there and carry on painting and fixing...I am trying to get him to not turn it into student-y digs! 

Although I am itching to get crafting again. I have lots of projects I want to get on with...oh and this Saturday I have a last minute gig! Eeeekk! Its a 'country music' gig, which is not my favourite genre of music but its paying so well that its paid for all the fabric and wool for the caravan and some spare too!! (yes I spent the gig money before I got it!! so naughty!!) So I have rehursals for that. 

Its a late night gig 9pm-12am. Dunno how I'm gonna last!! Esp singing sleep-inducing mellow country ballads mainly!! haha!

 Phew, will I be glad when this week is over!! 

Have a good weekend whatever you're doing

Please feel free to leave a comment, I love hearing from my readers, 

even if its just a 'Hi, I read your blog!' !! 

Take Care

Xx

Return to Blogland!

Hi There! Long time, No See!!
I admit I have been a TERRIBLE blogger these past months.
Lets just say I've had a lot going on.
Today, we have a rather murky dull day, which is typical British Bank Holiday weather!! The sky has clouded over and the rain is imminent, but I'm not complaining, as I know how much my young little plants in the garden need it.
I felt compelled to come online and say Hi to you all, even though I don't have many completed projects to show you yet or more likely, photo's of my completed projects.

In my previous post I wrote about starting a blanket for my littlest boy, and how I didn't like it. Shortly after that, I pretty much gave up on it. I actually gave up on all my crafty things, basically my creativity went on holiday!!

Anyway, it came back at the end of April, and I really got on with it from then on. I finished it last Monday.
I am happy with it, and my little son just loves it. But I haven't taken any pics yet.
I also finally got around to making a roman blind for my 'cloakroom', or little loo as we call it, that's been waiting for months and months!!


Since finishing it, I have been itching to do something with this wool

pretty isn't it? Can I add, I did not take this photo, I found it on Google Images, so I take no credit for it!
I couldn't resist it when I saw it in an unlikely place to buy wool, at a homewares shop! But it was just £1 a ball!! since we're on an immensely tight budget, I treated myself to a few balls.
However once I got it home, I did wonder if it would crochet up ok! If that's a term!
This afternoon I had a nice little moment, out in the garden, when the sun was out, on our weather worn garden swing, my big fat pussycat snoozing beside me, just the birds singing and tweeting away. Just blissful.
(Hubby had taken the boys out to a fair that I didn't fancy)

I think it crochet's up quite nicely. I am making a cushion cover for my caravan - Ellie.

Also, I am wearing my cute little apron, that my friend Bonnie made me a few years ago. 

I love it and have taken to wearing an apron more often lately, although I do tend to need to wear a full apron, this cute little half one, is just perfect for plodding about doing housework! 

Please check out Bonnie's latest aprons she has FOR SALE! and also while I'm on the subject, rush over NOW for her Fantastic Blogiversary Giveaway, Quickly It ends TOMORROW, (31st May 2011)

This is the first side I did, I am working on the second half. Its going much better second time!! 

We are currently redecorating our caravan. It was an ugly beige colour, so we have freshened it up with a coat or two of old lace white. and I have just ordered some fabric to replace the ugly boring bland terracotta coloured curtains. 

I will share some pictures of it when we are done, in the mean time, I'd like to share with you some photo's I have of our lovely Springtime we have enjoyed. 

We have tried to make the most of it as much as we can.

First there was the joy that we get every year of our Magnolia tree blossoming

Here's my favourite place to sit in my garden, our rather dilapidated garden swing (we are saving up for a new one) we are using sun lounger cushions as seat cushions as the original ones went mouldy and the little mice in the shed made a nice little nest out of them too!!) I have since moved the swing to the right , and the overgrown flower bed behind it has now been weeded and extended and planted with sweet little baby plants. 

 We went for picnics, here was a little spot we choose one time, under an Oak tree, I took my big blanket and also you can see my Working in Progress blanket for my son.

my little boy calls these 'Puffs'!

We also went to visit my sister who lives in Derbyshire, one of my favourite places in England, and we went for a bike ride in the Derwent Valley 

it was just so beautiful and green here, we were really blessed with lovely sunny days, 

we had lots of fun...

rough and tumble times with Daddy, this is my Hubby roaring to life after my step-daughter, and boys jumped on him while he rested from the ride

Also my boys thought it very funny to sprinkle hubby and I with leaves left over from last autumn!

I love this shot of my step-daughter and my eldest son. 

credit for these last 3 photo's are to my brother in law.

He took this one also of me

and finally for today, I wanted to share with you something quite amazing. 

My cat Charlie, is a big old softie... unless you touch his tummy, then he'll kick to warn you away if you stroke him too near, and if you persist as I do sometimes, he'll go into a little fighting kicking, biting little bundle of lion!! 

Anyway, I was sitting writing in my journal in the garden, one lovely sunny morning, and I had been teasing him, as I'm sure one day he'll just roll over and let me tickle his softest fluffiest fur, I popped into the house to

refill my coffee cup and returned to this scene............

Amazing! He can write!!! hahahaahah!!please click on it to see it bigger if you can't read it!!

I showed my son this and for a whole day he totally believed it!! then he looked at it a day later and said "Mummy, that's your writing isn't it?"

Anyway, on that silly note, I am going to leave you, oh but not before asking you to please check out my Mum's blog to see her present that she made for Hubby & I for our 10th Wedding Anniversary. 

They take pride of place on the sofa, and I still look at them with such a happy impressed warm feeling. 

Thanks again Mum, I really appreciate all the hard work and effort you put into them. Xx

I Hope you all have a good week ahead of you and I WILL return soon to show my finished accomplishments!

Take Care Xx

The Granny Stripe Blanket and Other Things...

Hi there!
I know I've been absent for a little while.
I've had a rather taxing and stressful past month or so, and have totally not felt like blogging at all. Sorry about that.
However I have still tried to have a peek of all the blogs I follow, and leave comments when I've had something to say!!
One little blog that I have discovered recently is by such a sweet lady, Tina.
I really enjoy reading about her simple uncluttered life up in Scotland, and how she takes pleasure and joy out of everyday by just observing the little, simple things that most people take for granted or don't notice.
That is something I have found most inspiring.
That it's OK to do without things that end up cluttering ones life, distracting us from the beautiful little pleasures, and that waste ones time.
One of my favorite posts of hers is this one.

We have recently had a Massive financial blow.
It came few days after we booked our non-refundable, non-transferable weekend to Paris!
We cannot afford to waste the money we've spent on the weekend already, so although it feels terribly frivolous and care-free of us, we are still going, and as my dearest and closest friends and family have advised, we do need the break!
I know many, many people are suffering financially now, everyone is affected in one way or another, so I'm certainly not going to sit here and wallow in my self-pity!!
Especially when there's such tragic and awful things that have happened, still happening in Japan.
Also on Friday just gone, we had 'Red Nose Day' here in the UK. All evening we watched 'Comic Relief'
and some of the stories and plights of the people in Africa is just so upsettingly sad and desperate.
Some just made me cry so much. Its heart-breaking.
Just puts any of my problems into perspective. So no whinging from me!


Anyway, what I have failed to blog about, is the Completion of my Blanket! YAY!! I finished it on the 1st of March, so it took 6 weeks. or 45 days from start to finish.
It's become a real family favorite, my 'mittle' son just loves it so much, and is often bundled up in it, as I will show you. The Edge took a little longer and was a little more complicated than I anticipated, and also the dreaded sewing the ends in. I had every reason to dread it!! it was soooo time-consuming and annoying!!
when I finally finished it there was no joyous " Ta-Daaah" or happy dancing as I had imagined!
just an 'OH! there's no more stitches, oh! its done!" and there it was,
All Done.
and a happy contented tired smile spread across my lips!

So let me SHOW it to you!!

(I warn you now, I took ALOT of photo's!!)

                 Here it is almost finished........

Here is the Completed Blanket, laid out on my floor...

Most of the time I would I would set out about 6 balls of yarn in an order, making sure that no two colours were next to each other twice. (Except when I got a bit stuck at the end!) so there was no set pattern or repeat.

 When I didn't lay the next 6 balls out in readiness, and just randomly picked a ball, I tended to not like the results. I have a few rows together that I didn't like, but, hey ho! I just don't look at them!!

                                     The Edge, up close
again I followed (Attic 24) Lucy's Pattern, I did attempt to do a 'shell' edging but it looked awful and wrong, so I tentatively followed Lucy's picot edge pattern.
 By this time I'd done so many treble clusters, I'd forgotten how to do any other stitches!!! so it was like learning them all over again!
I have a funny feeling that perhaps I should have turned it over after I went all the way round with each of the rows for the Edge, but, it looks OK to me! I  haven't had anyone so far examine it and say 'What on Earth have you done here?! this is all wrong!!" haha!

So there I was trying to lay it out on the floor, in the glorious bright sunlight we had filtering through the windows, and of course the inevitable happened........

"MY Blanket!!" my 'mittle' son cried in delight!

and he thoroughly enjoyed rolling around on the floor in my blanket

a scrumptious little bundle!

And finally to see the scale of it, I've laid it across my 3 seater sofa!

So in actual fact, it's far too big for my caravan sofa as its intended for!!

but, it'll do!

I feel like its the end of an Era! haha!

But, I am proud to announce i have started Another One Already!!

Yes, I thought I would make one especially for 'mittle' son, and his favorite colour is Green, but his bedroom is Blue and Red (and white) so with that in mind, I went to my local wool shop, perused and touched the wools, and felt that the best and loveliest wool to do his blanket with is Sirdar Snuggly Baby Wool.

however, I gasped when I saw the price for the just one 50g ball, and couldn't justify it. So I took note of all the colours I liked, came home and researched and browsed online and found it slightly cheaper elsewhere!

I have actually bought some cheaper 100g balls, of similar quality and feel,(baby wool) so that I didn't need quite so many of the Still Expensive but Cheaper than my shop balls of wool!

I was a little disappointed though when my wool came, as not all my order was there and I've waited weeks for them to send the rest of it. I received a ball yesterday, but am still waiting for an important green that I need to continue with.

I must say I've got a bit disheartened with it, it looks a bit cold and sombre compared to my last blanket, and I wanted it to be just as colourful and cheerful and its not saying that to me at the moment, however that just could just be the way I am feeling at the mo!

Here take a look at it and please tell me what you think...

I think its not 'Green' enough. Its turning out to be quite Blue. Not how Mittle son wants it.

Any Hoo, I'm off to do some ironing now as I am starting to pack already for the Weekend In Paris.

I am so looking forward to it! and what is the best thing is that we are going because my dear and bestest and longest friend, Bonnie is going on holiday to Paris Tomorrow, and when she booked it up she asked if Hubby & Me would like to meet up and join them for a few days!

Hubby & I  had originally planned to go to Paris for a weekend for our anniversary in May, since its a Big One for us, (10 years!! I cannot believe I've been married for 10 years!! gone so quick!!!) so when Bon asked us we had to decide whether to meet with them or go for our anniversary...and needless to say we decided to go and meet Bonnie and her Hubby.

 It will be interesting as our Hubby's have never meet before! I've been over to Bonnie, but it was just me who went, and she came over to me on her own.

 But I'm sure they will get along fine!

I am looking forward very much to such a wonderful weekend break away with my lovely Hubby, My Bestest Friend and being In the most Romantic City in the world, Paris.

It really feels like a once in a lifetime treat!

I'd love to hear your comments on my granny blanket, and my little one also. So feel free to do so!

I hope you have a good week ahead,

I'll be back soon to share my adventures with you!

Take care,

Xx



New Cards! Hurrah!

Hi There,

I finally have some cards to share with you. Can you believe they are my first this year?!!

Anyway, I went to a craft show on Friday. I've never been to one before, so when I got there and saw this massive indoor market of stalls catering for every craft I am into and more, I felt like I was in a dream! (soon woke up when I saw the prices! haha!)
Although I say that but, I am kicking myself over certain not-bought things, that were cheaper there than anywhere else! D'oh!

Nevermind. However, I was very much inspired by what I saw. It mainly was paper crafting stalls, only a few knitting/crochet ones.
I discovered a new company that design and make stamps, called 'Little Claire Designs'   I really liked their style of stamps, and the owner of the stall Steve was very friendly and chatty, and is even often on TV on the craft & create channel.
I bought two adorable stamp sets 'Room with a view - Cat in Window' and 'Beach Huts' 
I made a card last night with the 'Cat in the window' set. I annoyed myself with starting to colour in with watercolours and not thinking the colour scheme through, and almost ended having to start again! I'm not a 'girly pink' person. I can tolerate little bits of pink, here and there, as a complement, but I feel this card has too much pink in it, but that's probably just me!

The papers background and 'curtains' paper is from Papermania, the sentiment is WMS
Want to see what's behind the window shutters?

                              OH isn't it just the cutest?!
I'm rather pleased with my 'tabby cat' there too!! (if I may say so myself!)
I'm entering this one for the 'Anything Goes' Challenge over at the Little Claire Blog

I also got a new set from Hobby Art. I stood at the stall for ages trying to decide which set to get.
I ended up going for the Woodland Scenes set. And Its soooo adorable.
I really enjoyed using my markers and pencils to 'watercolour' this little picture. its such a sweet picture that I made the rest of the card really simple, and also by the time I finished it was getting really late and I didn't have time to faff about with it anymore!!

Here's a close-up of the picture i made with the stamp set

Sweet isn't it?

Hubby is having a 'Scalextric Race Nite' tonight. He has got some friends coming round and they are going to race their little cars..I started to mock him a little then he said about how I spent all last night, 'colouring-in with my felt tips'. haha!

He too was with me crafting away,last night, making his own background buildings for his race track. I will take some photo's tonight to show you as they are impressive. 

He has taken some already but they're not good quality. 

Lastly, I just wanted to share with you the flowers I've had around the place this past month. It's so cheering to have pretty flowers about, makes it feel like Spring is almost here....it's not, its absolutely freezing here today, and my sister has even had snow again up her way.

Firstly, are my Tulips, that were such soft, subtle hints of pink

they looked almost iridescent when the sun was shining on them 

Blue hyacinth

                                           mini daffodils

 I came down to this sight one morning, my poor tulips, Naked!! petals all over the table! haha!

and finally,

Pink  Hyacinth which has lasted considerably longer than the Blue one, perhaps because I didn't keep moving it about, and because I left it on my windowsill!

Although it is now getting past it's best, and like all the rest of my flowers here, are ready to wilt.

Well, that's all from me for now. Tonight I am going to try and sneak in a little bit of card making if I can, or at least carry on with my crochet blanket, which is nearly finished. Just a few more rows then I can 'finish' it, with an edge. I am looking forward to The End of it, so I can show you all...and swiftly start on another! I need to make another for my caravan, and my sister also has asked me to make her one. Yay!

This week is half-term for my boys, so they have a week off school, and the weather looks set to be miserable :(       Typical!

But I have got my card-making bug/mojo back, so watch this space for more soon!

Have a good week

Take Care Xx