30 days of September

30 days of posting.

I set myself a challenge at the beginning of the month to post daily. This was mainly because I started the blog back in May and I thought I knew why....but then I was posting only every now and then, so this self set challenge has cleared up a few things for me.

I only discovered blogs in january this year and I'm addicted. I started reading for home inspiration and now craft inspiration too. Also now I read certain blogs because I care what is happening in these 'virtual' friends lives.

I've always been very cautious about the internet, but the blog community is proof that fundamentally people are Nice. Honest. Trustworthy. Generous.

This month has made me see that I don't necessarily have anything to share daily. And to be honest I'm still not entirely sure if I have a 'purpose' to my blog. Then I ask myself - does it need a purpose?? I like that blogging makes me record my projects. I like that blogging makes me take photos. The camera is nearly always to hand these days - which means more snaps of my boys for me too.

So, I shall continue! Hopefully without the committment of a post a day it may free up a bit more time for all the projects on The List!

Sandie, at Dancing on a Blade of Grass, accepted the challenge herself - sucessfully too! And she has very kindly given me this.....

Thank You Very Much Xx

I'll be back in a couple of days- hopefully with the answer to my paper gift bag question!! I dismantled a laura ashley paper bag last night, I'm going to use a felt tip and mark the fold lines and use as a template...watch this space!!!

Paper Bags

On the cover of the latest freebie B&Q magazine - there are some gift bags made out of wallpaper.
I had been thinking about how it would be great to make some gift bags...so I decided to look into it when I got the magazine.
Thing is - I'm a bit cack handed and I need the idiots guide to folding a paper gift bag - which I cannot source online...so here's where you come in :)
Can anyone point me in the right direction - book, link, anything!


I've found this...and this...neither are what I really need, (well the 1st one is exactly the type of bag I want to make but without the techy bit!!) so any help would be gratefully received.

Sunday Sewing

I'm a bit fragile today and haven't felt like doing much.. but I escaped to my room this afternoon and made some bags to hang on the new peg rail in the kitchen.

Can you spot the (not so) deliberate mistake?

Oops - obviously hangovers and sewing aren't the best combination!!! Its still hung up at the moment but I think it may have to be re-done as I know its wrong and it annoys me :(

Something in the woodshed

Well there would be, if we had one! I gave the OH 2 days notice to build one but he failed his challenge lol!!This is our 4th winter in this house, the first we were a bit nervous of the real fire so it was an event to have it lit!! The last 2 years we have used offcuts from building work in the house and the offcuts my step dad gets from his wood turning club - this year determined to keep the gas costs down we will be using real fires more - hopefully the woodburner will be sorted if the man ever returns our call....But we have nice stacked 'posh logs' ready for the winter....next year I will have a woodshed...this year we will make do with a tarpaulin covering them!! Can I just add I stacked these logs all by myself, with just a 3yr olds assistance!!Please excuse the lack of paragraphs - blogger hates me today:)

2nd Post

First one muffed up...my html picture thingy didn't work and with me being a tiny bit anal about things not being quite right...I deleted it!
So...you can see my Christmas shopping instead!!
From The Book People - cheap as chips books.

All between £2.99 and £3.99.

Its never too early to start your christmas shopping!! 3 months today and it'll all be over!!!!

Bake Day

Well nearly at the end of the month - some days I do feel I have something to blog about - others ,like today, well you are going to have to look at my baking!!!

I was an almost domestic goddess - I made some more of Delias runner bean pickle - forgot about it and it overboiled so I ended up with runner bean toffee - oops!!!

I then made bread - not pretty to look at but very tasty - what is it with fresh bread? I must have eaten half a loaf!!!

And nigellas breakfast bars - delicious all day :)!!! I adjusted them a bit so they have cranberries and walnuts in.

Treats

I bought this tin at the weekend - its dinky, just big enough to put 'nice' choccies in for my treats.

It was in a gift shop - displayed on a huge pine dresser with lots of CK and similar goodies. I feel I have turned into my mother (not the worst thing in the world I hasten to add!!) - I spent an age at this dresser oohing and ahing...they had a carrier bag holder in a pretty fabric for £7....egg cosys padded with an appliqued heart on for £4 (although the only egg cups left in this house have tweenies and bob the builder on - the shame!!) and door stops for £15......Not paying that thinks I - can make myself!!!

As a teenager if my mum said this whilst out and about (and my mum is a hundred times the seamstress that I will ever be..) I used to tut, roll my eyes and say get a life!!!

Now its my boys turn..ah the circle of life - hakuna matata and all that!!

Keeping Warm

With gas prices going up, this winter I am determined not to do my usual trick of leaving the heating on all day but I also don't like being cold...So we are trying to prepare for the autumn and winter cold snap.
I read somewhere that fir cones make good fire lighters (correct me please if I'm wrong..) so before the rain came this morning we went to the park across the road to fill our bucket in readiness for when the fire starts being lit again.


Someone was watching us.....
So now we are nearly ready...This is the woodburner in our dining room that we haven't used for 2 years as we can't get access to sweep the chimney -(installed by bodgit mcdodgit, he had done lots of jobs in this house :0)- hopefully someone is coming out this week to see about cutting a hole in the flue so we can use it.

See our 'posh' logs next to the burner - the other half is very precious about his nice logs!!!

But the fire in the front (best!) room is swept - my ex husband and other half are sorting out a delivery of logs for the end of the week (we are sharing a truck full!).

So we are ready to be warm - next stop making sure we have enough blankets!!

Dinkle

Indulge me if you will with cute story from my 3year old....
In the toilets at the junior farm yesterday...

cam: you not got dinkle mummy?
me: no, girls and mummies don't have a dinkle.
cam: just little boys and big boys and daddies?
me: thats right.
cam: little boys and big boys have little dinkles and daddies have big dinkles?
(didn't want to shatter his whole world at such a tender age (!!) so....
me: something like that sweetie :)
cam: you should get a dinkle, they're good...
me: oh yes - whys that?
cam: well then you can do standing up wee wees and sitting down wee wees!!

So thats whats been missing from my life!!

And this little tale is now in cyberspace for ever!!
Just in case I ever forget it!!!

more swap loveliness

Its been a good post week this week....a parcel from Nicole on Monday, and one today from Theresa. She has made me some gorgeous things from felt, a flowery candle holder and strawberry chocs.
I am loving this swapping - its great to receive handmade gifts that you wouldn't make for yourself.
I shall be posting my package to Mary on Monday, just a bit of handsewing to do then all finished!

Ooh, nearly forgot! I've sold one of my brooches...my friend wanted one for her friends birthday, it feels good to think that somebody likes my handiwork enough to pay real money for...but I found the pricing a bit, well very, awkward....I think if I was selling at a fair I'd find it easier, but I found it difficult to cost in my time as at the minute I'm doing it for sport!! I suppose like everything, it will get easier if I make another sale!!

Autumn Fruit Crumble

The power of marketing!

Yesterdays walk didn't bring the yield of berries I hoped for, so when we got home we had to improvise for the crumble (or pie if you are 3!).
I stewed the berries with 2 manky apples that were hiding in the bottom of the fruit bowl and some plums and a cinnamon stick. Then I found a tin of blackcurrants in the cupboard (why did I buy them?? What was I going to use them for??), they were dated June 08 but I thought I'd live dangerously and whack them in anyway!

My glamorous assistant made the crumble mix.

Et voila...

Autumn Crumble for daddy.

blackberry picking in the sun

Today we went to the cliffs where the blackberries grow before nursery. The weather today has been amazing - sunny and hot - so I thought we should make the most of it.

Sadly, somebody had beat us to it, there were lots of red ones so we can go back, but just enough for daddys crumble, no jam today.

I remembered the camera and took some pics of our view. Its so easy to take for granted the area that you live in or just focus on the scabby parts. But on a day like today its easier to appreciate how lucky we are to have this just a 10 minute walk away....

List

Things it has taken me having 4 babies to realise.

1) You do not make a 'rod for your own back' by bringing your babies into your bed in the night.
(it makes breastfeeding a doddle, your child will not be 13 and still in your bed and best of all....it means you get sleep!!)

2) You do not need to buy a moses basket (see above), or a swinging crib - even though they do look beautiful. You only have to offload them in as new condition a few months later.

3) It really doesn't matter if little johnny at toddler group could do back crawl and read at 6 weeks old and your baby just sits there like a pudding......little johnny is probably not as easy on the eye as your treasure anyway :)!!!

4) Your baby will not be hospitalised if it eats a scrap of breadstick/biscuit/rice cake off the floor - in fact it can only be beneficial to their immune system.

5) Ditto if you don't bath them every night - a flick with a flannel suffices :).

6) Ditto if you only baby wipe the sick off their clothes instead of changing them.

7) Just because your baby ate it...doesn't mean your toddler will. Just because they liked it a fortnight ago...doesn't mean they will eat it today, even if you have been in the kitchen 2 hours making it (see number10!!!).

8) You do not need to buy your baby toys - a box, a door to open and close, a plastic drinks bottle filled with pasta, all of these are preferable to baby instead of the £30 worth of musical plastic you think they will love.

9) It is doubtful that your baby will be in a routine by 6 weeks.

10) If you feed your children weetabix for tea - they think its an adventure - not that they have an idle mother :).

Autumn Swap

I received a fabulous parcel from Nicole on the SC forum yesterday - full of autumn stylee goodies just for me!!

Check out my union jack cushion made without inside info of my front room :) - just perfect.

and all these other goodies,

home made plum jam (yum!), the candle smells gorgeous, the napkins look to pretty to use :), the cream linen in the front is a crochet edged table runner, pretty autumn hanging things ( the scarecrow is up high as my 3yr old has taken a shine to it!!) and chocs for me too.

Thank you so much Nicole for your generosity, it is really appreciated. Xx

Vintage Book

I bought a job lot of crafting books a while ago - the majority will be moved on via the car boot sale methinks but some were worth keeping and one vintage book has really got me tickled..its called Gifts you can make yourself - illustrated, no publication date, but was published by odhams press limited.

Judging by the pics inside I'd say 1940's and the book is on amazon in 2 editions one being 1946.

One gift in particular has caught my eye - the carry seat - now I reckon if we all used one of these on our little treasures - social services would come a knocking!!!

I'm disappointed that the book came with a pattern sheet originally but its missing out of my copy - otherwise I could have made (well added to the list anyhow!!) this....

smallpeople

These smallpeople arrived at our house yesterday, all the way from marianne in Australia. I want to get them framed for my dining room, but that job is on the 'to do' list.This is Queenie who I fell in love with...and here's why...

We have the same boots - however Queenies don't have the same beer spillage stains on them - I don't suppose she gets out much lol!!!

Saturday

Mr Dollop is on a stag day, which means it will be tomorrow I'm sure before he falls back into the house! My mother in law has taken 3 of the boys swimming and to the big M for a treat...that just leaves me and the baby.

So, today for me, will include...

a bit of light reading

(incidentally whilst flicking through Coast I read that my town is lined up for regeneration - wtf!!! - new one on me - the town council seem intent on destroying not regenerating!!)

definately some of this

Oat cookies made during the monsoon yesterday!!

And hopefully even some of this.

And tonight, some of this

while I watch this film with my boys.

Not the most exiciting 'today' I have ever had, but it'll do for me!

Sewing

Winter colour brooches......

Work in progress.

Finished pressie for Mum.

Apologies for even poorer than usual photos...It is dark like december here because it is RAINING, raining doesn't quite cover it....just the weather for baking and sewing. So thats what I shall be doing. x

Buttons

I've discovered the most lovely site where you can feed your button habit...here.

I placed an order at the weekend and it arrived on Tuesday with a pretty thank you card.

The buttons are so sweet - red with polka dots, blue with polka dots and some I am using for an autumn swap project :)

While you are there check out the gorgeous felt embellishments, I love the make your own owl kit - I will definately be going back for these for Christmas pressies for people.

The photography is just gorgeous (note my pathetic snap of my package I received compared to the shop pictures lol!!).

Sarah also has a blog, where the pictures are just as vibrant.

On the subject of buttons, I got some in the charity shop yesterday, they were in a big bowl on the counter and its the first charity shop I have ever seen do this. The lady behind the counter was bemused at my rummaging and asked me 'but dear, what will you do with them!!'....Do? I thought buttons were just for looking at and sorting into colours!!!

Yak!

If you watched this programme last night you may know what I mean.....or you may not....in which case I'm offending you. I apologise.

I am passionate about breastfeeding, I believe everybody should and can (with the right support) breastfeed. Breastmilk, imo, is as vital, no - more so, as the innoculations most of us take our babies for. But other peoples breast milk......I repeat YAK!!

There is no way I would let one of my babies suck on another womans breast - not ever.
There is no way I could have another womans baby sucking on mine!

This programme has put the promotion of breastfeeding back by a gazillion years! Taking an extreme (again if you feel I'm wrong - sorry I don't feel wrong!!) just promotes breastfeeding as UNnatural and weird which it isn't.

That said, if I had a prem baby and I was in a coma (for example!!) then I would prefer they got some breast milk - expressed and donated though please! And I would be happy to donate my own for neonatal care (I say this quickly and quietly cos I find pumping very ouchy!!)

But bravo Channel 4 and Kate Garroway for drawing our attention to the subject - its nice to learn new things isn't it??!!?? I think with this topic - ignorance is bliss :)

Post

Remember I posted about Postcrossing a couple of weeks ago....?Well the 1st card I sent to Finland arrived which made me eligible for receiving too...First one arrived today - I am liking this new game a lot...., post that isn't a bill or spam, can't be bad!!! And my postie will start to think I have lots of international friends!!

In Print

I've got plenty of things to do this morning but instead I am reading this book that my nice postlady delivered on Saturday. I can't decide if I'm now officially grown up (or just a teensy bit sad?) that looking through this book makes me very very happy!

This table is my dream dining table - all those odd chairs and flowery table linen - yum! The other half declared it 'a bit much' - but I've learnt if I dont tell him what I plan and do it gradually - he doesnt really notice :)

And who knew I needed a laundry room like this?!?!? With an ironing table.... If I had this I would iron every day -

And I'd be doing my housework right now if I had pretty dusters like this!! Not quite the same to chop up flannelette jim jams with cars and planes on!!

Or perhaps I'd just be looking at the loveliness and doing just as little!!!