PHEW... new job, a weekend away and the Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013!

PHEW!  Sorry for my absence... it has been all go here for the last 10 days or so.  I have a new job as a Teaching Assistant in a local school - in fact in the school where I was a pupil from the age of 5 until 11 - so when I walked in for a look round I hadn't been there for over 40 years! Much is the same, some huge differences... none of my little friends are there :( 

Also my hubby treated me to a long weekend in Seville for a Valentine's treat... what a beautiful place... I'll post some pics soon.  If you follow me on Instagram you will already have seen a couple.  The weather was like a good spring day in the UK.. what a treat to feel the warmth of the sun on my face.

To make up for my absence I am going to post details of quite a few squares today.... First Janice's squares: 

Janice sent us these four gorgeous crochet squares for our Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013 when there was ice and snow at her home - I hope it is a little warmer now Janice! 

I don't think Janice has a blog, I can't find details of one... let me know if I am wrong Janice.  Here are Janice's squares:  

A lovely granny square in a multi-blue yarn.

 Janice designed this flower square pattern herself! 

Janice wasn't able to find the designer for this lovely pinwheel square - 

if any one knows maybe you could send us a link please? 

Finally, Janice's personal favourite (and mine).. an owl square from Sarah's lovely blog - Repeat Crafter Me, which is called the Owl Granny Square and can be found HERE .  This square is really popular at the moment - we have had 2 sent in for the Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013 :)

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Do you know Shelley from All4meggymoo?  Shelley recently organised a lovely 'I Love Hearts' swap for Valentines which was great - I blogged about it here.

Shelley has been kind enough to send us 3 squares for the BBB 2013:

 These squares are beautifully made.  All 3 patterns come from a book which I hadn't heard of called, 'Crochet Blocks in a Box', by Luisa Roberts. You can see more about the book here on Amazon UK

This is my favourite!

Can you see the filet heart within this one? 

Thanks so much for joining in with the Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013 Shelley! 

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The lovely Wink of A Creative Being  has sent us 4 squares for the BBB 2013.  

If you follow Wink on her blog or on Instagram or Facebook you will know that she has been organising a 'Weekly Mandala' CAL for the last 17 weeks! Somehow Wink found time to make us these lovely granny squares too: 

Four beautiful little granny squares in lovely spring colours on a white background. 

Thank you so much Wink, Shelley and Janice! These are all beautiful squares for our blanket.  

GOOD LUCK !

The draw for the winner will be tomorrow - 

1st March 2013! 

I have more squares to post - I will do another post this evening, one tomorrow morning, and then the draw winner will be posted in the evening! 

Hugs,  Jill x

Happy Valentine's Day... and squares from Spain!

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Thank goodness I joined in with the 

Love Hearts Swap over at Shelley's blog - All4meggymoo!

Valentine's day never gets an awful lot of attention in our house, but this year the flu bug has struck and hubby is not going anywhere to get anything romantic! So when my parcel from Lizzy of Handmade Homemade Lizzy arrived on Monday, I kept it safe until today.  

The idea of the swap was that we were paired up with a swap partner, and exchanged 5 gifts with them on the theme 'hearts'...at least one of them to be handmade by ourselves.  Well look what Lizzy sent me! 

3 heart filled tea-lights 

THE most beautiful Washi Tape that I have ever seen! 

A packet of Emma Bridgewater Tissues

A sweet Lilac heart on a stick

A gingerbread heart biscuit

5 'LOVE' tea-bags from PUKKA - to "warm my heart" 

and finally....

A gorgeous heart strung with peanuts, finished off with a bow!  

Thanks so much Lizzy.. you made my day :)

Another Lizzy, this time Elisabeth, of Elizy Art is originally from central England, but now she lives in central Spain... which means she is probably a lot warmer than I am today and I am thinking of going to join her!  

Elisabeth is taking part in  the Stashbuster Challenge with Linda of Linda's Crafty Corner. When she saw the Beautiful Blogger Blanket she decided to use up a little of her stash to send us a square... thanks Elisabeth! 

 You can read how Elisabeth blogged about it here

Elisabeth used Rowan Hand knit 100% cotton for the yellow centre and Sirdar Soft 100% Cotton for the deep pink outer rounds.  The pattern is the Gerber Daisy Square by Robyn Chachula from the book, ' Crochet Stitches Visual Encyclopedia.  The final square measures 15cm x 15cm

Thanks so much for joining in Elisabeth! 

GOOD LUCK 

with the draw to win the whole 

Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2013! 

Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012 - It begins!

I have already seen 3 lovely bloggy posts about squares people are making for the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012..and a few of you have emailed me for my postal address... 

First from Carole at Gingerbread Girl pop over there for a glimpse of the squares she is making for the BBB 2012.....Just a glimpse, but looking so good.

Second from Kashi at Kashi's Corner have a look to see what lovely squares she made...


Thirdly from a very new blog to me called My House in Africa.  Laura has already made 3 squares for the BBB 2012! Nip over there and have a look...it is a lovely blog too - with a gorgeous ripply blanket in progress.

(If you have blogged about squares you have made or are making, please do drop me a comment and I will link to them as soon as possible)

I have actually got my eager little fingers on 6 squares from 

Shelley of All4meggymoo... oh my goodness Shelley they are gorgeous! 

Here they are: 

Shelley's squares arrived in a beautiful little package! 

BBB SQUARE 1

BY - Shelley from All4meggymoo -

PATTERN - Adapted from the 'Crochet To Go' book by Ellen Gormley - Page 34.

YARN - Kool Kotton in blue & cream

BBB SQUARE 2

BY - Shelley from All4meggymoo

PATTERN -  Granny Square

YARN - Kool Kotton in pink & cream 

BBB SQUARE 3

BY -  Shelley at All4meggymoo

PATTERN - From 'Crochet Today', Page 54 - 55

YARN - Kool Kotton in blue

BBB SQUARES 4 & 5

BY -  Shelley at All4meggymoo

PATTERN - From 'Crochet Today', Page 54 - 55

YARN - Kool Kotton in pink.

BBB SQUARE 6

BY -  Shelley at All4meggymoo

PATTERN - From 'Inside Crochet', Issue 3, Page 84 - Page 86

YARN - Kool Kotton in pink.

So the first 6 squares are already here... have you done yours yet? It will only take a few minutes... you have until 31st January 2012.

If you need a reminder of the rules for the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012, take a look at the original posts here and here ...it is easy, it is free, (apart  from your time and cotton yarn), and the more squares you make and send, the more entries you get to win the blanket itself...but if you just want to send one square that is blooming marvelous too.... 


THANK YOU for all your lovely comments and for visiting my blog in 2011.  I hope you enjoy your celebrations this evening...be they a wild night out or a quiet family night in.....

May you all be safe, healthy and happy throughout the coming year.. .. big happy hugs, Jill xxx

Wait for meeeeeee....... I'm late for everything this week!

It's Friday already and I haven't done Tuesday's Tallies at Gingerbread Girl !


Nor have I blogged even once about the beautiful Advent Swap presents that I have been opening daily from lovely Madison at Madison Makes.  I haven't even had time to update you on the progress of the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012! 


SO.... Tuesday's Tallies... everyone else in the One-A-Day project seems to be in various states of getting behind, so at least I can feel that I am in good company there...For the record I now have 100 squares...and should have had 104 on Tuesday, so not so far behind.

The Advent Swap - Organised by Lynda at Hookinwithlaalaa ... I am so glad that I chose to join in with this swap... Madison has sent me so many lovely presents.  It all started with the big box that arrived...

It was all I could do not to start opening them all immediately.. after all, who would know?? But I decided to put the naughty girl in me to bed and open them daily.  Madison organised it like a 'lucky dip' box so that I could just chose one a day.  


The first 5 days went so fast the I didn't have a moment to show you the pressies... but here they are....

Ahem... sing along ladies......


On the first day of Christmas Madison sent to me... One huge ball  of DK 
(beautiful colour Madison).


On the second day of Christmas Madison sent to me... One ball of red mohair wool (are you surprised that I opened the squashy 'yarny' type pressies first?!)


On the third day of Christmas Madison sent to me... A lovely vintage glass vase!  (You've been reading my blog Madison... I swoon at the sight of vintage glass and this little vase is beautiful)!


On the Fourth day of Christmas Madison sent to me..... a hand sewn strawberry (which smells beautiful).


On the fifth day of Christmas Madison gave to me.... (I know it should be 5 gold rings, but it is...) a hand made felt Christmas tree with little button decorations which is hanging in pride of place on my dining room mirror now....

Breathe!  Aren't I lucky?  


If you haven't heard of Madison you should pop over to her blog Madison Makes ... Madison has a slight ( I'm sure she won't mind me telling you) passion for vintage china cups and saucers... she has a fantastic collection! She also loves to scour car boot sales for beautiful vintage finds... and has blogged about many of them.... 


I'll show you the next few pressies tomorrow.

On the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012 front I have been sending out my postal address and happen to know that squares are battling their way through the Christmas post to me right now!  I can't wait to see them... 


Lovely Shelley from all4meggymoo.blogspot.com has sent me her squares and they will probably be the first to arrive.  


Carole of Gingerbread Girl blogged about the square she is making here.....http://gingerbreadgirl-carole.blogspot.com/2011/12/time.html.... I was so excited to see it.... and I think you will agree that it is gorgeous! 


Thank you so much to those of you who have posted the Beautiful Blogger Blanket button on your blog and encouraged others to join in. It warms my heart to see it popping up everywhere.  


Okay.... IT'S FRIDAY!! I know many of you will be at the front end of the Christmas holidays with your children at home (oh I remember it so well)..have fun...make the most of every minute...you are making your children's memories NOW - so make them good ones xxx