The house is ready for Santa, do you want to see....

I just adore nighttime at this time of year, everything looks much nicer by the gentle glow of fairy lights, including myself!!

Fluffy stockings for Santa to fill!

Twinkle Twinkle!!

A fave ornament
and my new fave ornament bought this year..

My mum got me this cute snowman family at TK maxx

Got this idea for using paint cards as tags from A Spoonful of Sugar, think they work well.

And lastly a few cards made the new Anna Griffin papers I got from QVC.

Have a lovely Xmas and hope to see you all again in blog land in the new year xxx

Oh my oh my, it's been a long time!

17 days to be precise!! I really didn't mean to stay away soo long but things just seem to have snowballed (excuse the pun) over the last few weeks. There I was thinking the big day was ages away when all the time it has been lurking round the corner.

We are trying to keep to a minimal xmas this year rather than all end up with endless lists and a negative bank balance. It's working out really well, we all put down ideas for gifts upto £15 and have to say apart from my other half (who are the most difficult to buy for) all gifts have been secured and now await in a pile in the back bedroom for wrapping. This is the part I love to do, presentation is key and being a crafter I have stacks of stuff to choose from to pretty them all up. Promise to post some piccies of the finished wrappings.

Have also been busy at my local charity shop, we opened Sundays for xmas run and have to say it has been very successful. Think people are being a lot more careful where they shop this year and I have really enjoyed seeing so many of them come into the shop and find something they like at very little cost. The kids section has been particularly popular! We had a lovely family with two twin boys who must have been 3 years old, they were dressed the same and both had matching ruck sacks on and beanie hats. They were just fascinating to watch as they rummaged round the shop. Needless to say they found the lower shelves of the brick a brac section far more fascinating than the toy section much to their parents dismay!

Made a few cards recently, some of them were done using my recently purchased mini stamp sets from Pink Petticoat. Have to say I am in love with these and shall be buying loads more of them! She had a lovely blog giveaway of an MM Slice last week, I would have loved to have entered but hadn't had much practice with my set then, and anyway the competition was really stiff, the winner's entries were just out of this world! Anyway here are a few piccies as I am sure you have all had enough to read for the moment ;o)

Think my colouring skills need to improve!

The 3-d embellishments are from Anna Griffin and velvet to the touch, I just love her stuff

Have no idea why this has rotated, oh well you get the general idea!

Be back soon, hope your xmas run up is going smoothly ;o)

Pink Smarties

Who can resist tubes of all pink smarties, me that's who! Sad I know as they all taste the same but to poor them into my glass bowl and see them glisten just makes me smile ;o) Only downside is they don't stay in the bowl long enough!!

Pink and Turquoise

I seem to have a thing for these two colours at the moment. They just work so well together don't you think.

Made this one for a friend of my nephew's 18th.

My sister changed depts at her school recently and this was to thank the staff for her lovely gifts. One of them was a crafter also so she said it had to be nice and classy, think I managed to meet the brief!

Antique Irish Crochet

Since my last post I have been busy entertaining my aunt who is over from the states for a couple of weeks. We are all having such fun with craft things. She is extremely talented and until recently has been making miniature porcelain dolls and handmade clothing to 1/12th scale.

This work has proved too intricate for her now and she has moved into the world of reborn dolls, a craft to which her previous skills are easily transferred. She came over with this beautiful hand crocheted christening gown to finish and was talking about really wanting to do some antique irish rose crochet. So on to the world wide web I hopped in search of patterns, firstly I found a couple of sites that had some beautiful antique patterns that they sold on CD that were taken from their original pattern books, my aunt was sooo pleased with this find.

Further searching uncovered some sites that had kindly put up some intricate irish patterns that you could download for free, together with indepth instructions as the terminologies they used back then, some of these dated back to the late 1800s!! To say my aunt was excited was an understatement. Needless to say we are off out tomorrow to find some of the very fine thread she will need to start on the Irish Baby Bonnet pattern.

http://www.antiquecrochetpatterns.com/baby-bonnet.html

Magical Xmas Decs!

Took a trip to my local garden centre with my mum for our annual look at all their lovely decorations. They really do have the best and such a large selection. Here's a few pics of some of their displays.

This was in part of their kiddies section

I just loved these jack in the box type decorations, such fun!

Beautiful winter wonderland setting

And this is a close up of part of the tree!

and even closer, look at the gorgeous little ice skate!

This stunning lady was £130!!!

and lastly a fairy who seems to be pondering about something.

Magical!!

Isn't she pretty!!

Did a shift at the charity store yesterday and look what I found to dress my Lolo in...............

The net skirt has no less than 8 layers in it, it completely stands up on its own!!!

The fur stole and rose brooch were stashed away in my drawer and were perfect to go with the skirt. Now if I were a tad younger I'd be out in this skirt with a funky top and some pretty boots ;o)

If I could turn back time..........

well all at once on the many clocks in my house ;o) A few of them are intelligent enough to do this time adjustment automatically but most of them need help from a human being! Sadly that human being (me) is not overly bothered about helping them out! So in my house, for a while at least, there are many different time zones, some spring, some winter, some just plain wrong! Hey does this mean I get to time travel in my own house............................... ttfn

My favourite Childhood book, ahh the memories...

Do you have a book from your childhood that stands out from all others with the lasting impression it made on you? For me it was "Little Women and Good Wives". I remember reading this book and the longing I had to be living in the world of "Jo" and her "sisters". It all seemed so warm and secure, images of them all chatting away whilst carrying out intricate embroidery around a warm log fire, the sound of a mantle clock ticking in the background and smells of baking wafting in from the kitchens. Oh how I wished to be there with them, sometimes it felt like I really was, but then I would awake in the mornings to find myself in my 60s family home my sister just across the room from me asleep in her bed. Now why the reminiscing you may ask? well I was in my local charity store today with my mum and we were looking for interesting cookery books to display on her new kitchen shelving when I spied some old leather bound books on the shelf above. I picked the nicest looking one up for a look and to my surprise it was a 1954 edition of you've guessed it "little women and good wives"!!

I squealed with delight and began to stroke the cover, flicking through the pages and breathing in the aroma that only old books have. Straight away I was back there with Jo and her sisters, aah the comfort that brings! Still smiling at my find I paid for the book and stowed it safely in my handbag, my mind filled with the anticipation of reading this at bedtime. I might even have to put on my most vintage nightwear in honour of Jo and her sisters! Childhood books and lasting impressions, what were yours?

Don't you just love last minute orders.... not!

Had my day planned out yesterday, knew the things I needed to get done, whether they do or not is a bit hit and miss, but I had my plan and that was what counted! Doing quite well working my way down the list, a little bit sidetracked but not much. Then I get a text on my phone around lunchtime, go to investigate and it is from my darling sister, can I knock her up a 60th birthday card and matching gift bag, oh and by the way need it by this afternoon!! So there was my plan, well and truly out the window as they say! Anyway I did my sisterly duty (how could I not) and went into my craftroom and started looking for inspiration, no idea what colours/style she goes for so just went with what came to me and this was the result. Hope you like it, really hope the birthday girl likes it!!

Wow someone already has a copy of Sew Hip magazine!!

Was just catching up on some of my fave blogs and the lovely Lululollylegs had posted this article.... http://lululollylegs.blogspot.com/2008/10/hip-hip-hooray.html. I want my copy now!!

It's been a while...

Sorry bloggers, I've been very lapse lately, almost 2 weeks since last post, shocking!

Have been busy sorting out my new storage area for my growing collection of fabrics and also just started helping out at my local Cancer Research Charity Shop. The people at the shop are just lovely and make the best tea going, some of them have been working there for over 10 years as volunteers, see there are still caring people in this world. I must admit it is a bit of an eye opener working there, things you don't realise, people actually steel from the shop, they change price tags over (as if things aren't cheap enough already), and some seem to think the donation bags are for putting their household rubbish in!! That aside though it is a nice thing to be doing and most customers are lovely, it's great to see what they buy and find out what they are going to be doing with it. There is a very big downside to working there though................ and that is all the stuff I keep bringing home as I get to see it first hand before it hits the shop floor. The other ladies did warn me of the temptations and how their lofts are brimming over with "oh I'll get that it's soo cute I can make so and so with it.....". There is just no hope for me now ;o)

I was on another blog the other day and saw this book featured

http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com/2008/10/i-cant-believe-it-its-just-like-book.html so just had to pre order it.

There is also a new magazine for sewers hitting the stores end of October called Sew Hip and you can see it here , bit pricey at £6.00 an issue but will definitely buy first one to see what it is all about.

http://www.sewhip.co.uk/issue1.html

Time flies..........

where does it all go I wonder, it simply disappears before you've realised it never to be seen again. It all started with a craft day on qvc on Tuesday, 17 hours of live shows, heaven. Like some obsessed woman I sat there in front of tv with computer on in my PJs excitedly watching for items that I just had to have! This I did non stop for 7 hours before realising I'd run out of milk and was still undressed! I looked at the rest of the planned shows and picked one that I wouldn't mind missing as my chance to go out and get supplies. (I did get dressed first, honest) There surely must be a cure for this affliction that I have ;o) But I love it, I just love to watch programmes about pretty papers, ribbon and embellishments dreaming of all the wonderful things I could make with it. I love to walk around stationers or any stationery dept in a store and just wonder at all the lovely paper, pens, files and the like.

When did this obsession with paper start? Well I know I have always written lists for everything (something I inherited from my father) and then when I got my first job as PA and found myself in charge of the stationery cupboard for the Directors I would order everything and stock up like there were going to be rations or something, and that was just plain old white and buff stationery!! I've always had more pens than is really necessary for one person and just how many notebooks does one really need? At least now I knock up my own pretty journals for a fraction of what I used to hand over for them and although they are not always perfect they are the best things ever that I have written in.

So to go back to my original title, paper makes time fly for me!! What makes time fly for you?

A few pretty things and my first bag attempt

I have just received my first purchase from an Etsty shop Inspiration Cottage of Silver German Glass Glitter! Wow it is soo pretty I can't stop taking photos of it as you can see.

This photo has a lovely set of glass bottles that I found in my local charity store the other day for the grand cost of £1.99, bargain, made me smile for the rest of the day! And guess what I could store in them............ yep glitter.

My beautfil glitter on my mantlepiece, I know, I am sad but can't help it.
Oh and here it is on my dish of roses!
This is my first attempt at making a lined bag, I used up some old calico curtains I had laying around that were originally from Ikea so figured it wouldn't have cost me much if I messed it up. The bag rings came off an old bag of mine that was destined to be thrown out. I do like recycling things it feels so much better than buying from new all the time, much more satisfying. The rose was made up out of an old jean leg and was really a bit too thick as it was difficult to mold and stitch, will use lighter weight fabric for others but really enjoyed making it.

Am now on a mission to find some more glass glitter in an array of vintage colours to fill up my pretty jars.

Saw this over on http://hysteri-cal.blogspot.com/ blog and just had to have a go myself!

What Karen Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Hmmm, think that is me, mostly anyway ;o)

Wednesday Update

Was in the mood for making up some cards today and thought I'd post some piccies, they are fairly basic cards but I do like them for their simplicity. I am meant to be making things out of my fabric finds but haven't got my head round that yet. Hopefully inspiration will hit me in not too distant future!

On Sunday just gone it was a glorious day so I went off to visit Woburn Village with my friend. Such a quaint lovely little place, felt like I was on hols. Drove through the edge of the safari park to get there which was amazing as the deer and stags are all around you grazing in the fields. There were some beautiful buildings there and two that particularly took my fancy were this Interiors shop and an Antique store

England is such a pretty place when the sun shines!

Oh yes and all my ebay items sold so am happy bunny!

Late night shopping

Just bought this from Inspiration Cottage over on Etsy after reading over on some of my fave blogs and just had to try some for myself. Can't wait for it to arrive!!

Don't you just love vintage sparkle.

Wonderful sewing site

Was having a mooch around the internet today some sewing tips and came across this site http://diystyle.net/. It's really rather cool and has videos of sewing projects, downloadable written instructions and there's a forum too. Have only touched the surface so am off to investigate further. Definitely on my favourites list.

The prettiest fabric

Just had to go for a wander down my little highstreet and so glad I did as I found this lovely valance sheet in my local charity shop

It is just begging to be made into something for the ladies, I'm torn between cushions, bags or covers for notebooks!

And whilst I was in there have signed up to do volunteer work at weekends for run up to Xmas! Now am I going to be poor being able to rummage through the goodies as they come in!

2 of my ebay items have bids on them, woo hoo!!!

Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine.

A day for ebaying

okay, it was pretty dull outside today so decided to go through and sort out some of my stash. Did some organising of my papers which took me ages as I looked at some of my faves drooling over them and stroking them. Not sure why paper makes me do this but I just love it! Found some decoupage sheets from one of the kits I had a few years ago, 3d decoupage is not really my thing so set those aside to sell. Next on the hit list were my vast collection of wooden stamps, some of which are beautiful anna griffin ones which I just adore and will never ever get rid of. There were some 'mary hughes' ones that I hadn't used at all, they were mainly religous phrases and lots of floral images, not for me so they went to one side as well. Continued looking through my things, getting side tracked all the time and put some more things to one side. I then set about taking piccies of them and posting on Ebay in the hope that someone out there will like them and want to put them to good use. Thought I was quite good with the digital camera but it is really quite tricky trying to do justice to your goodies. Oh well they are all up there now for all to see, all I can do is constantly, and I will be, checking my Ebay to see how many if any buyers have put me into their watch lists, oh the excitement!

Oooh I did some sewing..........

Not terribly exciting I know but these were long trousers and now they are shorts with matching headband. Now all I need is a 9 year old to give them to ;o)

Pickings were slim

Well the hygenist and dentist went well and as I promised I took myself off for a stroll around the charity shops afterwards. It was a bit of a damp cloudy day but there were plenty of people out and about. Charity shops seem to be ever so busy now and the stock levels are looking mightily depleted!! However that said I still managed to spend over an hour looking around 4 shops!! My purse was safe though as only found a couple of things that took my liking, some pretty tea towels, might end up as peg bags, a tiny lampshade that I just love to look at and an old fashioned sugar bowl with lid.

Ouch!

Just realised had got hygenist and dentist today! Yey what fun! Still the upside is they are in town so to make myself feel better I will go for a wander around my local charity shops and see what goodies I can find. This is one of my fave occupations, I love to look through the racks and can easily waist a couple of hours!! Will let you know what finds I make later. Drill here I come...............!

Rekindled love affair with sewing machine

Whilst rummaging away in my airing cupboard I saw a white plastic thing buried at the back. On closer inspection it turned out to be my long lost sewing machine from days when I used to knock up the odd thing or two! Could it still work? I dragged it out and promptly rang my mum who is guru of all things to do with stitching. Why shouldn't it she said! A few days later she was round mine and I connected it up, and with the magic touch of her fingers the old stitcher chugged into action and it was if it had never been hidden away! The smile on my face went from ear to ear!

So it is now sitting in pride of place on my kitchen table with my plastic spotty tablecloth underneath ready for action. I have an enormous stash of fabric pieces that I have accumulated over the years, never could resist the remenant bins in haberdashers!

Needlecraft is such a lovely thing to do, all children should be taught how, do children of today even know what needlecraft is.................... the possibilites are endless as are the ideas/sketches that fill up my journals.

Piccies of Hotel

As promised some piccies of our lovely hotel room at the weekend!!

Wonderful weekend

I was lucky to be treated to a weekend at the Charlotte Street hotel in London to celebrate 9 years together with my OH. The rain stopped long enough for us to check in without getting soaked and the lovely lady on reception had upgraded us to, oh my gosh, the penthouse suite!! The bellboy took us to the suite and showed me around while I tried not to squeel with utter delight and excitement at the sheer beauty of the room. His job done off he went to order our food and I then got to run around the suite feeling like a little princess and going, aaah!! It had lots of pink in it, marvellous, oh and did I mention there was a tv in the bathroom!! Out came the digital camera and I spent the next 20mins photographing every angle I could think of, lucky for other half food arrived so I had to stop my david bailey act. This was a world I could get used to, we sat there eating our delicious snacks whilst looking out over the roof tops of london through our beautifully dressed windows.......................... Some of my fave pics out of the hundreds taken ;o)

Some piccies of xmas cards

First few designs of my crimbo cards, think the green one is my fave so far............more to follow!

Christmas has started..........!

Autumn has started, which means Winter is to follow which only means one thing........................CHRISTMAS! Oh my gosh how did it get so close? Have been knocking up some sample cards today as last year left it too late, much to my families dismay, they had to buy from a shop! Have gone with brown, green and hot pinks from Dovecraft this year, they just caught my eye in local craft store. Still have lots of AG stuff left from last year which is just delightful, will make some of my posher ones with this I think.

All this crafting is not getting any of my other jobs done, oh well there's always tomorrow..........

The Big Blue Shop from Sweden

Autumn is finally here so what better way to celebrate than a trip to Ikea with my mum. She needs stuff for her kitchen and me well, I just need to go there don't I? Of course will have to have the obligatory meatballs and chips!! Another big bonus is that next to our Ikea is a huge Asda store and I will be dragging my mum in there to get their A5 concertina files for my scraproom! Hope they still have some left for me.