2011 is leaving us, bring on 2012!

This year saw my niece get her masters degree and her first internship in London.  I made it to one year in my job and we got a new boss who is just fantastic.  Amazing what a difference a good manager can make to a work place.  I was also very lucky this year and got my garden and driveway done which has made such a difference to everyday life.  Christmas was lovely spent with friends and family, lots of yummy food and my first real Xmas tree.  Oh and the cinema for our town centre finally got the go ahead which will be great for all the young families, no more trekking for miles to see the latest kids movies.

All you wonderful people in blog land have continued to inspire me and there is something quite lovely about sitting down with a nice cuppa whilst popping round to see what you have all been up to.  My blog is a place where I write about things that I have seen, done dream of and it still amazes me that people take the time to pop by and leave me sweet comments.  They really do mean a lot to me, thank you.

To all my lovely readers out there, a big Happy New Year to each and every one of you!!  May 2012 bring you happiness and good health.

lolo xx

Testing blogsy

Have had this app on iPad for ages but never tried it.  This is fun!  The cake above is one my sister made for her friends 40th birthday a few months ago.  Didn't it turn out great.  

Definitely going to try posting this way every now and then, I feel all technofied now, if there is such a word!

Lolo x

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Christmas wishes to you all, thank you for taking the time to pop by and read my little blog over the past year.  It really means a lot to me.  Enjoy!  Lolo xx

Ready for Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and all that is left to do is put out a snack for Santa and Rudolph.  I may not be under the age of 11 anymore but I am still a big kid at heart, like most of us I suspect.

I used to have these little silver doves when my tree was more cream and gold but I like them too much to hide them away.

What it is really about at Christmas time.

My darling sister got me this gingerbread chef last year after I oohed and aahed over her one.  Now if he could just jump down from the tree and help me with some baking.

This silver bell reminds me of the film Polar Express, one of my all time favourite films to watch at christmas and it was on this afternoon.  I sat and watched it whilst wrapping my pressies, definitely Christmas now.

Another heart, because you can never have too many.

My first real Christmas Tree.  No needles have dropped yet, I've got the radiator off behind it and have been watering it regularly.  It doesn't look so 'real' in this piccie but you get the idea.    When Christmas is over I shall put it outside in the garden until it's needles drop then my sister can have it for her woodburner.

Soon I am off to my beddy byes, this Christmas preparation lark has all but worn me out.  Hope you are all more or less ready for the festivities, don't forget to feed Santa and Rudolph.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Lolo xx

Baby Bottom Butter

Okay I am about 3 years behind on this one, but there might be some of you out there like me who completely missed all the hype.  I am talking about Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter, how cute is the name first off.  And the packaging is oh so clean and relaxing to look at.

On a glowing recommendation from my friend I went and purchased my first pot of this to try a week ago and have been in love with it ever since.  First off the smell is divine, slight vanilla but not too overpowering.  When you open the pot you just want to sniff it for a while.  Once done smelling it I tested some out on my hands.  It is a butter formulation so it's solid in the pot and you only need a tiny amount as it is very rich.  I found it great for my cuticles and those dry bits you get down the side of your nails.  It is a little greasy so you would have to wait a while for it sink in before doing stuff, perfect for night time use though.

For skin as soft as a baby's

A few days later I tried it on my face, I have normal/combination skin so did this at night.  Wow!  The next morning my face and neck felt sooo soft I couldn't stop touching it.  I've only used it on my face for few nights but it has made a real difference to how my skin feels with make up on.  I don't have those dry bits round my nose and stuff and it feels like velvet now.  My tired little feet are going to be given the bottom butter treatment next, they deserve it!

At £2.85 a pot this will be a beauty staple for me from now on.  It is also going to appear in the Xmas stockings of my female relations!  

I'd be very interested to know what experiences you have had with this product.  

Lolo xx

6 More Sleeps to Go!

Till this little fella drops down our chimneys!

I love that Santa is given a bottle of coke.

Things are slowly taking shape round here now and I feel slightly less harrassed and almost, dare I say it, organised.  Food deliveries are arriving tomorrow evening when I get home from work, life saver.  House is now looking like it's christmas, picked up my first real tree on the weekend.  The lights were another story though, a bit like gold dust round these parts.  Did everyone buy new sets this year?  The ones that were left were these new fandango LED ones with that scarey bright white light!  I can't be dealing with that so made do with last years in the end.  Am hoping to have some piccies to upload although a bit tricky when it's dark so early but I'll give it a go.

Are you all set for big day?  

Lolo xx

It's Catching Up With Me!

It's all catching up with me real fast now due to my house looking like this over the past 3 weeks.

Mental note: don't book decorators in before Christmas, especially when they over run by a week.

I've yet to get any of my decs out of the loft, little sister will be called upon this weekend, you see I can't go in lofts on account of 2 steps up a ladder and I get vertigo.

A trip to my local garden centre is needed to choose my real christmas tree.  This is a first for me as I usually go the artificial route but I'm fed up with spending over an hour putting it together before I even put any decs on it.  I'm told that the Nordman Fir as the way to go, no sharp needles, good when you have cats and the needles don't drop so much either.

Am also thinking I may have lost my chance to book an online delivery slot, what are the chances of any being left?  

Yep, still in the bag!  Can you see the theme running through here, told you I was way behind.  I did manage to order most of the christmas presents online last night, thank the lord for the internet.  It was a lovely feeling knowing that some nice man will deliver them all to my house ready for me to wrap in pretty paper.

What I need is to sit down with one of these and a notebook.  Lists need to be made to help clear my mind of all the jumble.  Yes I'll feel much better after this I'm sure!

Hope all your plans are going well, I've been popping round blogland and it's all looking so lovely and festive.

Lolo xx

Don't stress it

Just love this.  Don't know if you are anything like me, but when stressed I can find myself comfort eating.  And now I know why, lol!!

Lolo xx

Kirstie's Handmade Christmas

Friends house, check. Comfy clothing, check.  Delivery pizza, check.  Yep my friends and I will be on the sofa at 8pm tonight watching the lovely Kirstie and getting all christmassy.  I know she is not everybody's cup of tea but we love watching her programmes, yes some of the things are a bit set up, but hey it's christmas and we are allowed to indulge ourselves.

Programme Synopsis - Channel 4 - 8pm  7 December 2011

If you want to get crafty this Christmas, here's a festive two-parter with C4's very own Mrs Christmas, Kirstie Allsopp, who turns her Devon home into a winter wonderland.

We all love a snow globe and Kirstie makes her own, as well 
as fancy-but-tasteful garlands and wreaths and handmade presents. There are lessons in the art of gift-wrapping and how to get the wow factor from your tree - all the while, the smell of freshly baked gingerbread fills the house. Kirstie even finds time to pop over to New York to shop in the Christmas markets - will she pick up a stocking filler for Phil?

Now where's that pizza leaflet.

Enjoy!

Lolo xx

Favourite Thing on a Friday

CHRISTMAS!!

Yep, it's December and that means I can have my first mince pie, yippee!  The scoffing of my first mince pies will be taking place tomorrow at our towns christmas carol concert where there will be plenty of these babies and mulled wine too! I'm really looking forward to it, we've got primary school choirs singing some of my favourite christmas carols, an opera soloist and our local folk group.  It's a real community event organised by the Mayor's office which is liitle ol me!  There will be nervous butterflies in my tummy tomorrow afternoon as it's my first one and I so want it to go well.

Oh yes indeedy, just looking at this picture is making me salivate.  Best way I like mine is warm from the oven with brandy cream draped over the top that slowly melts with the heat.  Or sometimes I like brandy butter, or even brandy sauce, pretty much anything really so long as its got brandy in it!  I can feel my waistline growing already.

Then there's the mulled wine, which shockingly I have never ever tried before.  I know, what is that all about!  Not to worry this will be properly rectified tomorrow evening as I am definitely going to try me a glass, or two, or even three.  Well it is Christmas.

So that's my favourite thing this Friday, pop on over to Mimi's blog and see all the other lovely bloggers who have joined in this week.

Christmas wishes to you all.

Lolo xx

25 Ways to Wear a Scarf

As someone who wears a scarf every single day you can imagine my delight when I came across this video.  I have always wondered how some people's scarves look much better than mine when worn and now I know! The video is very cleverly done and so easy to follow.  I cannot wait to try all these out and also to see if any of my family/friends notice the different looks.  This is definitely a must have video for all you like minded scarf lovers out there.  Enjoy!

Lolo xx

Burlap Card

Today is my lil sister's birthday, happy birthday sissy!  There is exactly 1 year and 1 week between us so we are really close and the best of friends and love the same things.  I am very lucky to have such a great sister.

I always make her a card and this year I chose to use my new favourite thing to craft with, Burlap, or Hessian as it is also known.  It's normally used for storing potatoes or covering the workings on the base of a sofa, but I like to use it for home decor items.

I love how it holds shapes really well, this flower was done by just folding a strip concertina style, tying some of the burlap threads I had pulled out round the middle and voila, instant flower.  A few gems were added to the middle which complement the rustic nature beautifully.  For the rest of the card I used Anna Griffin stamps and fabric together with some white twill tape and kraft card.

So there you have it, my burlap card, hope you like it.

Lolo xx

The Notebook

A notebook.  Something us ladies like and we like to have a few of them and they have to be pretty.  Even though we may only ever write shopping lists in them they have to be pretty, right.  My niece is no exception to this rule and the notebook I made for her had to be extra pretty as it will journey with her on her new career in London.

Plain soft leather effect notebook from TKMaxx, one of my all time fave stores as you just never know what you will find.  To pretty it up I used some scraps of fabric, ribbon and twill tape, which you all know I love to use.

 I wanted it to have lots of layers and textures so I just started piecing things together and when I was happy with the layout I sewed it all together with a mixture of straight and zig zag stitches.  The narrow grey ribbon was a little fiddly but worth it I think.

I have this dreamy image of her sitting in a window seat on the train, listening to her ipod and when something inspires her she will take out this pretty notebook and jot down her thoughts and ideas.  How daft amd I, yep it's lonely in my little world!

I didn't neglect the back either, it too deserves to look good for those people sat across from her on the train.

The whole ensemble.  She tells me she likes it a lot and will only use her bestest handwriting in it, bless her.

Supplies used:

• Fabric scraps, prints are by Anna Griffin
• Ribbon
• Sizzix Bigz Folk Hearts die cut using old beer mat
• Pinflair bookbind glue to adhere to cover
• Pink Petticoate Querty Digi Image
• Bunting clear stamps by Marion Emerson
• Square card blanks by Papermania

I really enjoyed making this and hope you all liked it too.  Thanks for popping by.

Lolo xx

Card, Fabric and Pink Petticoat

It's been ages since I sat in my craft room and made something which was mostly down to the fact that I couldn't move in there.  But, last week I had a mahoosive tidy up and now I have space to create!  So today I made this card  for my wonderful niece who only went and bagged herself a cool PR job in the west end!  We are all so very very proud of her.

I took one of my white card blanks and used a polka dot stamp all over it in brown ink.  The green gingham check is fabric from an Anna Griffin Charm pack as is the strip of black and white floral print.  I folded some thick twill tape, which I love using and then stitched the three layers together on my machine.  On top of that I stitched a length of vintage seam binding ribbon.  For the bunting I stamped the images onto the twill tape and then cut them out.  They were then stuck using glue dots onto some narrow rik rak ribbon.

For the sentiment I got to use my recently purchased Querty image from Pink Petticoat.  This digi image is so useful and has the perfect spot to put your own sentiment in which I love.  It's printed on photo paper and then I added some colour and twinkle using two colours of Sakura Glitter Pens.

I've also made her a fabric covered notebook which I'll show in another post.

Thanks for popping by.

Lolo xx

Cath Kidston Treats

Do you ever feel the need to just pop out and buy yourself something pretty to cheer you up?  You do.  That's good to hear because I do too, sometimes its a bit too frequently but hey, we earn it right!  Well last weekend was one of those times and I found myself driving my car to the Cath Kidston outlet store, which for me is a few short miles up the road.  I know, too close right!  It was absolutely heaving when I got there, mothers with their children, girls with their boyfriends dutifully following them around with a basket full of goodies.  Oh the joy on the poor blokes faces lol! 

An apron.  I did um and ah over this purchase as I have a ton of this fabric and could have made at least two for the price of this one.  But do you know what made my mind up, the label on the front.  Yep I am that sad! I can't be the only one surely!  Can I?  Please tell me you do this too.

Oven gloves in a print I love for it's muted colours and flowers.  They were only £6.00 each which I thought was quite reasonable.  I get on so much better with this type rather than the joined together ones.

See I didn't go crazy.  Mind you that was probably more down to the fact that there wasn't actually a lot there this time.  I don't mean the shop was empty but just a lot of the same stuff filling it up.  Their lovely section of handbags had but a few to choose from, most unusual.  Perhaps this means they are getting ready for new lines, which you know is gonna make me go back sooner rather than later don't ya.

Thanks for popping by, I really do appreciate all your visits to my little world.

Lolo xx

Favourite thing on a Friday

Old photos.  Afternoon tea on the beach.  Grandparents looking so young and beautiful.  As grandchildren you forget that they were ever that young don't you. 

I love that my gramps is in his suit and they have proper crockery for their tea.

Street party, when street parties were something amazing for the kids to join in with.  Hidden amongst the little rascals above is my darling father.  He's the cheeky one in the white sailors hat pulling funny faces.  Yes that would be my dad all over, cheeky then, cheeky always.

So there you have it, my favourite thing this Friday is looking at old photos.  If you want to see what others have posted over at Mimi and Tilly's just click on the button in my sidebar.

Lolo xx

Merchant & Mills

I love discovering new online shops don't you.  Especially ones that sell all things sewing and in a grown up and stylish way.  This site is very classy and english indeedy.  They have a blog too.  My fave section is their dressmaking patterns.  I don't know about you gals, but I do struggle to find fashionable, wearable and flattering patterns.  Well at M&M they have some real fabby ones.

Courtesy of Merchant and Mills

Relaxed dress shirt with so many possibilities.  This is my style of clothing, not structured, hate structured.  Loose, breathable, comfortable clothing is what I like to hang out in.  It could be made as a dress, top, with sleeves, without, with varying length ones.  And then theres all the different fabrics it could be made in.  This picture is making me want to wear it longish with a pair of wellies and great big chunky cardigan.  Perfect!  You can see the pattern here.

Courtesy of Merchant and Mills

Another favourite is their Trapeze Dress which again can be made with sleeves or without.  In grey suiting fabric I could wear this to the office, and how comfy would that be.  See the pattern here.

Courtesy of Merchant and Mills

Fun eye test charts on there too.  Fancy one of these in my craftroom.

Courtesy of Merchant and Mills

Their artwork is spot on, clean, uncluttered, from a time when life was a more simple affair and people didn't have piles and piles of stuff in their homes.  A time when they also 'did' rather than just 'watch'.  See what this artwork has done to me, I've gone all reminiscent and wishful!

Anyway, go see for yourselves what goodies they have, you can find them here Merchant & Mills.  

And thank you to the lovely ladies over at the Womens Room Blog for bringing this wonderful website to my attention.

Lolo xx

Charity Shop Finds

Since going back to work full time I don't get as much time as I used to for a mooch around the charity shops.  Last week though I managed to pop in to a couple on my lunchbreaks. 

This bowl was outside the local Cats Protection League, a favourite of mine having cats and all.  The colour goes perfectly with other bits in my lounge and I couldn't believe the sticker only said £1.  It might end up in my kitchen though once it is decorated as I can see it filled with fruit on the kitchen table.

The very next day I went into the British Heart Foundation and this jug, in almost the identical colour as the bowl, was perched high up on a shelf.  What's the chance of that happening!  Home it came with me for a mere £1.50.

See, they were made for each other.  I did enjoy my little lunchtime visits and will definitely do them again, even though it means scoffing my sarnie as I trot down the high street.  Not a pretty sight but it's all in a good cause lol!

Thanks for popping by.

Lolo xx

Take Three Pumpkins

I managed to get some pumpkins yesterday from Lidl in the end as Tesco had sold out.  These were the last few that they had left, so glad I went out early.  Today I got out one of my tester pots and set about painting them.

I absolutely loved doing this and don't know why I haven't tried it before!  The shape of pumpkins have always appealed to me just not the colour.  It only took a short time to do and for these three I got through half a tester pot of Antique White emulsion paint.  Perfect little craft for an afternoon and doesn't cost the earth either.

The small one, which is technically a squash, received the glass glitter treatment.  The light has been really rubbish here today, grey is not the word, so found it difficult trying to capture the sparkle.  But boy does this stuff twinkle in the lights.  I purchased the glitter glass, which is basically miniscule shards of glass, ages ago and had almost forgotten about it.  I like it because it has a vintage silver look to it rather than the harsh grey silver of modern synthetic glitters.  As you can see though I clearly didn't put enough glue on, still first attempt and all that.

And this is with me holding a giant torch to see if I can get it to sparkle on camera, the things us bloggers do!  It sort of worked I think.

I have to say a big thank you to all the bloggers out there who posted about these and inspiring me to give it a try.  It's given me loads of ideas for next autumn but for now I am more than happy with these three little cuties around my home.  Thanks for popping by.

Lolo xx