Over 25 Years in the Making!

Hasn't it turned really cold, time to start wearing bed socks on a night time, blanket over my knees in an evening, bit surprised by the snow during the week! We're planning to put the tree up next weekend and Imogen has started  opening her advent calendar (Imogen has a chocolate one and we bought Izzy a lego one). I think I've finished my Christmas present shopping and I just need to get some more paper and do the wrapping up. The television is full of Christmas adverts and Imogen has been doing Christmas parties at work.... there's no escaping it, Christmas is just around the corner...

I finished Izzy's bunting, I quite enjoyed sitting and hand stitching her name on it. Just needs to be wrapped up now.

I've sewn pompom ribbon down the sides of the first and last pieces, but it's hard to see from the photo.

I've also started sewing together some decorations I've die cut from felt, this one's from some sparkly red felt I had.

I should explain the reason for the title of this post. I started making my son (who is now 29) this little latch hook dinosaur rug when he was only a toddler. I don't know what happened, he was probably too old for it when I picked it up after leaving it for a while. Anyway, it's been aired out and finished off and as Adam is perhaps a bit too old for it now, I shall give to to my grandson, Adam's son instead so it may have taken over 25 years to finish off, but will at least be going to a good home now!

Are you getting in the Christmas spirit or has it crept up on you too (doesn't seem that long since last Christmas)?


Take care
xxx

Scottie Dogs Christmas Prep

Here we are again, I seem to be just managing a post a week at the moment. It's so lovely to see I have a new follower too, hello.

I've been trying to have a bit of a tidy up and declutter this week in preparation for the Christmas decorations going up next month. I found some things that are no longer used, needed or wanted, so put them on eBay. I'm not sure if they'll sell or not, they have a week and will be donated to a local charity shop if they don't go. I do try to be ruthless, but I'm an old sentimentalist at heart so I'm not very good at it. I decided it was time to say goodbye to one of my craft totes/bags, it's just a small one that I often have sitting next to me on the sofa with some ongoing project or another in it (as well as my other paraphernalia such as notebooks, pens, crochet hooks, tissues and my phone). I added it to the charity pile when Andy commented 'oh, are you getting rid of that', so that made me wonder if he thought I shouldn't, oh no, will I regret it once it's gone. I was very good and let it go... am I the only one who has trouble letting things go, forming attachments to 'things'?

I found this blanket in one of my cupboards. it had an awful lot of ends that needed sewing in. It seemed a shame to leave it languishing in there, taking up precious storage space. Out it came and I spent a hour or 2 sewing and weaving in all the ends.

I'm glad I spent the time doing it, I'm really pleased with it now and know a little girl who will enjoy wrapping herself up in it on chilly afternoons.

I've also been making some other preparations for Christmas. I need to make some pretty bunting with blue in it, also for a special little girl. I found some fabric in my stash with pretty blue flowers and little paisley patterns.

It's all cut out and waiting to be stitched up.

I've made this sweet little scottie dog for Christmas too. I cut 2 dogs out in felt and stitched them together with a blanket stitch. Gently stuffed them and also put in a small muslin bag that I stitched and filled with lavender. This little chappie smells quite divine and is just the thing to hang in a wardrobe or on a hook somewhere.

I think I shall make some more in different colours.

Thank you for popping by and please stop and say hello.

Take care
xxx

Bunting in the Garden

I haven't felt like doing much today as one of my teeth is playing me up. One of my canines is a baby tooth that never fell out when I was young, I think it's lasted very well, but is perhaps coming to the end of it's life? I clench my teeth very hard (and unconsciously) when I sleep at night so wear a guard over my bottom teeth to try and save them from wear and tear from the crunching (ouch, sounds horrible). I have been very lucky and only experienced toothache for the first time a couple of years ago and then had to have one of my back teeth removed as it'd cracked from the constant pressure. I went from being terrified of having an injection in my mouth and a tooth removed to being desperate for it to happen (anyone who's had toothache will relate to that I'm sure). I digress... really I was just having a moan about my tooth hurting.

I popped into the garden for a bit, it's very grey out there and we've had some rain on and off (the conservatory has the airers up with washing drying on them). I took a quick picture of the bunting I put up on our small pergola.

I made it from some oilcloth offcuts, some cotton tape and a highly technical piece of card from a cereal box.

There was quite a mishmash of cloth to look at and it all needed to be smoothed out so I could find pieces to fit my template.

I had a collection of a few different pieces, this patchwork style one had some pretty patterns in it

With it being oilcloth, there was no hemming or fraying to worry about. I cut my bunting out with pinking shears to give it a more interesting edge.

My piles waiting to be sewn onto the tape.

I still have quite a few bits cut out so I can make some more bunting for the fence to brighten it up a bit.

While I was out there, I had a quick check on our little apple tree. I planted the seeds from an apple core about 3 or 4 months ago not really expecting anything.

One of the seeds grew and just went from strength to strength.

So this afternoon I repotted it to give it some more growing room. I shall be watching it with interest.

That's me about done for this afternoon. Imogen is in a play tonight so I'm going to pop a couple of painkillers, get gussied up and off we go. We shall be dreadfully early as Imogen needs to be there about an hour and a half before it starts, so I think we'll drop her off then wander around the area for a while. She's very nervous because her knee still isn't 100% so she probably won't be able to take part fully in the dancing (they're performing Chicago) and she worked so hard on them. Imogen is playing Mama, the prison warden, so even if she doesn't dance, we'll enjoy her singing.


Take care
xxx

What's Going On?

The answer to that is lots! My dad has had his first operation to deal with the cancer and is slowly (and painfully) recuperating at home. Hopefully it has all been removed and we're going onwards and upwards, though the day before he went for the operation, his Macmillan nurse rang to wish him well and also let them (my parents) know that the scans he'd had had all shown clear except for a small mass on his adrenal gland, which may or may not be nothing, but will have to be investigated. So that is something else to be done before dad has his heart operation to fix his leaky heart valve. One step at a time, one day at a time.

Meanwhile, up in Yorkshire not as much is going on as there should be. I have a few projects on the go, but the only thing I've managed to get finished this week is my book! I finished it earlier while waiting for the plumber to come and fix our shower (the second time within a fortnight), it really isn't the weather for the shower to decide to stop working - very hot and sticky here.

I was near the end and wanted to find out how it would wrap up as it had such good reviews, but it didn't 'grab' me like I'd hoped it would.

What Alice Knew by T. A. Cotterell was written from Alice's viewpoint. A successful artist, happily married to her successful husband with two children with a happy life, until..... her husband goes missing and odd things start happening. The author spent a great deal of time talking about art and the artists view of life, which I'm afraid was a little lost on me. I saw the ending twist coming, so no big surprise for me there either. I'm sure many people will love the language and descriptions, but it wasn't a favourite read for me and I'm not sure I'd read another book from this author.

So while I was busy finishing off my book, I wasn't busy finishing off my crafty projects. This is what I have underway at the moment.

Only 8 weeks until my sweet grandson comes into the world and here are parts of a quilt I'm making for him. The middle of the front is ready and I have some lovely, brushed cotton for the sides and back.

This project is some oilcloth material cut to make bunting for the garden, it just needs sewing onto some tape and it'll be ready to hang outside. I also cut some small pieces to hang around the fairy garden.

On my crochet hook, or just off it as it's now just waiting to be sewn together, is another grandbaby project. Here are lots of little stars waiting in a pile to be sewn in place.

This is where my stars will be shining, on this blanket that will soon be ready for my baby's baby!

Hopefully my next post will have finished projects show you!

I hope everyones's enjoying the weather whatever you have and you're having more success finishing off your projects than I am right now.

Take care
xxx

My Baby Girl's Birthday

My baby turned 11 today. It's been a lovely day and she's gone to bed tired out and happy.

I'm exhausted! Imogen goes to a swimming disco on a Friday evening, so I planned to use that time to make her birthday cake, it never occurred to me that it might be cancelled! It ended up being a very late night...

Chocolate cake was mixed, beaten and folded until arms ached...

Once baked, I had to wait for it to cool down so it could be covered with lots of buttercream icing inside and out, hiding all the tasty chocolate...

By now I was feeling very tired and wondering why on earth I hadn't found time in the afternoon to make it.

The outside was covered with very yummy praline chocolate fingers...

 and the top had some One Direction wafer pictures on for Imogen to swoon over...

 This afternoon was spent preparing for a family tea party while Imogen and her friend were out with Adam.

 The cake was a success

 After everyone was full, Imogen and her friend attacked a pinata

 I was a little nervous for my china, but thankfully it was fine. It took a lot of bashing!

I can't believe my baby is 11 and I'm so proud of the lovely young lady she's growing into.

Take care
xxx

Hearty Bunting

Where does the time go, I keep thinking I must blog more often, but then a week or so has passed!

We had a family day out the other day. It was a bit cold and windy though the sun did fight it's way through the clouds now and then. We kept moving, a bit of crazy golf.

Some F1 racing

Oh no, man down

Birds of prey

Lots of animals to pet and feed

Meerkats... so cute...

Baby Joey...

Then a bit of crafting at home, some crocheted hearts.

Heart pom poms and big round pom poms

Some pretty bunting

Take care
xxx