Day of Fun

Today Rose & I travelled into London for a little shopping trip, starting with Selfridges

Where we brought cupcakes

And I can confirm they taste as good as they look!

Next stop was John Lewis and their haberdashery department and then it was time for a Cream Tea at Liberty

Next stop on our journey was All the Fun of the Fair which was filled with lots of knitted treasures

It was a hot and exhausting day but was well worth the treats I came home with, would you like to see what I brought?

Pin cushions from Cath Kidston and a cute apple needle holder

A knitted pumpkin and appropriate mug for the moment

(both from All the Fun of the Fair)

And some pretty pins and charms which will hopefully adorn my knitted projects very soon!

And yes behind them is a Cath Kidston hankie

Now it’s time for me to do some blog hopping!

Success!

Yes ladies this is a bootie knitted by me!

I'm so proud... filled with confidence following yesterday's lesson at Prick Your Finger I followed my first pattern from Knitty Gritty and I did it!!!!

I'm so proud of myself

I can't wait to tackle another project but for now it's off to bed

Fun with Friends

I have 2 fun days out with friends to tell you all about, I hope you are sitting comfortably!

Wednesday Rose & I went to see Family Fortunes being recorded (every so often I go through a phase of applying for tickets and this time I was lucky!)

The lovely (and rather nice looking!) host Vernon Kay even showed the audience photos of his newborn daughter

We saw 2 recordings of the show featuring Sean Maguire Vs Leila Rouass and Vanessa Feltz Vs Lucy Speed

It was a late night but well worth all the laughter (esp between “takes”)

Our tickets came from SRO Audiences if you’re interested in applying for any shows

Today my friend Kelly & I went for our knitting lesson at Prick Your Finger

Here’s my practice work with a copy of Knitty Gritty I purchased

It was just Kelly & I in our lesson and our teacher was fantastic helping us both learn in our different ways. We were extremely proud when she told us we were great students and had learnt a lot during our session

We both left confident in our new abilities (I have always had problems casting on and our teacher refused to let me leave until I got it!!) and ready to tackle some small knitting projects (scarves probably!!!)

If you want to learn knitting I’d highly recommend giving the girls at Prick Your Finger a call

I hope you have been having fun with friends and family this week

Happy Days

Sunday Epping hosted our Town Show and despite a few clouds in the sky it was a very successful event

I proved once again I can find something to buy anywhere – including in the middle of a field - with the purchase of this lovely bag

Isn’t it fantastic! I think it’s going to be my knitting bag (I have a lesson at Prick Your Finger on Saturday!!)

Then we joined my parents up the local pub to buy our dads a pint for Father’s Day

And this little guy was on top form

I hope you enjoyed your day

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Love you Daddy xoxo

New In Crafts

I mentioned in an earlier post that I’d made a special purchase recently and here it is:

I know it probably doesn’t look very exciting but the Cricut Expression is something I’ve read and heard about a lot and finally decided to take the plunge and treat myself. Having spent some time playing with it this week I’m almost overwhelmed by its possibilities

For those of you who don’t know the Cricut Expression is essentially a die cutting machine but the beauty is that you don’t need to attach it to a computer (although investigations have told me that is possible to expand your die/template options!) and whilst some machines limit you to one standard size the Cricut has the capabilities to cut a range of sizes

As I say I’m still slightly overwhelmed with its possibilities and I need to play some more with a few ideas I have in mind. I’m also using it as a kick to get on with doing some scrapbooking

I finally received my copy of Martha Stewart Cupcakes this week

I’ve only managed a brief browse through its pages but I’m very pleased so far and can’t wait to get baking. For the thriftier sorts I will say that many (if not all?) of the recipes and techniques can be found on Martha’s website

Now if only this book would arrive!

As if I hadn’t spoilt myself enough AND received a gift from mum this week my friend Ben also produced a present for me when I paid him a visit yesterday

We have recently been discussing various holiday plans and I’d been joking how I couldn’t possibly go on holiday without a complete set of Cath Kidston travel accessories (you understand of course!) so he treated me to this

Aren’t I lucky!

I hope you’ve all been spoilt a little this week and have been enjoying your weekend.

Tomorrow it’s our town show – fingers crossed again for some nice weather!

Thank you Mum!

My mum took a trip up to Covent Garden yesterday afternoon and returned with this gift from Cath Kidston for me

Unexpected gifts are always great and even more so when they come from Cath Kidston!!

The Bridal Shower

I am pleased to tell you that the sun was shining Saturday and my friend Kelly's Bridal Shower was a fantastic success! It was one of those perfect days when you turn around and see the time is far later than you imagined

Everyone was asked to bring their wedding photos which we had great fun looking at

Then it was time to kick back in the garden with coffee and chat

Britney Spears; THE CIRCUS

Last night my SIL and I went to see Britney Spears in concert at the O2

My brother treated us to the tickets and he did very well with our seats and we had a great view

Much has been in the press about Britney's lack of live singing but it didn't spoil the party atmosphere. It was reminiscent of Madonna and Kylie performances but I enjoyed it nonetheless and I was particularly impressed with the O2 as a venue esp the Spur Steakhouse where I enjoyed a rack of ribs!

Tonight I'm in bed with the latest copy of Romantic Homes and some sweet treats watching Slumdog Millionaire