Hypocrisy

Mine!!
Now I know I said I was yacked off with Cath and her (non) sale products and the quality of some things I had bought, but...........
I received the new CK catalogue through the door today and I am back in lurve!!!
I love the fact that a lot of the pages are now 'set' ( like the LA catalogue)

I love some of her new ranges (they may not be new to everybody but as previously mentioned I live a gazillion miles away from a store...note to Cath...Norwich next please lol!!)
I particularly love that she has invented craft fabric just for us :) (cowboys mini print...I know!!!)

And I love this china...especially the butter dish *sigh* I really am back in love lol!!!

Off to see if CK does a wedding list service!!!

I also discovered this afternoon that you can pay at Laura Ashley online with paypal (I'm probably the last to know this!!) - huge result for me as my paypal money (from ebay sales of clothes and baby stuff) is my play money!!

Bliss

Thank You Yvonne Xx......

I received a lovely treat today...from Yvonne at Country Bliss.

It was my SCC swap for January, this months theme being inspired by Cath Kidston.

For me, the build up to opening is just as big a treat :)

I like to sit and look at my parcel first...

And I love it when a parcel has little parcels inside :)

Inside was a cute polka dot mug, a lovely linen lavender filled heart (the whole parcel smelled gorgeous), a photo frame decoupaged with CK ( I will find a picture of me and the other half to go in here) and fab crocheted garland.

Now my photography is nearly as rubbish as my camera, I feel the need to have a chat about purchasing a new one! The crocheted garland is so colourful , all the more fabulous as I can't (or won't!) crochet...I will be saving this for my soon to be done bedroom (oops our bedroom, Mary its easy done isn't it!!!), where it will be strung across the fireplace. The picture frame will look great on my new bedside table too.

Thank You very much Yvonne. My parcels lovely contents has brightened up this drizzly day. I love our swaps that we do over at SCC, I love that we have a theme and we all interpret it differently....or sometimes the same :).

I've just about got everything sorted for the Valentines swap organised by thrifty mrs, so if you are reading Nola, keep a look out!!!!

Awards

I've been given this award by MaryPoppins and Elaine at Bloomin Myrtle.

What the award is all about.....

"The authors say that blogs who receive this award are exceedingly charming. This blog invests in proximity in space, time and relationships. These kind bloggers aim to find and be new friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandisement. Our hope is that when ribbons of these awards are cut, even more friendships will be propagated. Please give your kind attention to these writers."

As I have previously said I am very bad at passing on awards - which makes me feel a tad guilty for accepting *blushes*!!!

I was also tagged by BekiMarie over at The ramblings of an everyday mummy....

Thank You very much ladies - I am very grateful to everybody who visits to read my waffle even though I come across as an ungrateful mare who doesn't pass on awards or even reply to comments regularly or even comment on all the blogs I'd like to :)

(i also think I've been tagged....will get to that soon!!)

*************edit to say SORRY ANGEL didn't see my award from you until I'd done this - as if I would forget you mwah mwah mwah (will get back to you on the dress, think I'm ok on the length bit its just in case I can't shift the lard in time! but thank you - you are the best xxx)**************

last minute

I love my eldest boy as much as I love his brothers....however, at 8:25 am today he advised me of his weekend plans, which includes going bowling with a friend for his birthday (the big boy thing with NO invitation is taking some getting used to!!)....
and he needed a gift...
I wasn't overly keen on him :)

He said - just get him some sweets...oh and a card.....

Well I thought 'just some sweets' sounded a tad boring so at 2:50 this afternoon (oops, I've been busy and I forgot!) I whipped up this gift and card -

Boys are really tricky to whip up a quick gift for...but I'm pleased with the card using an old battered Beano annual for assistance...and I'm sure he can find some use for a drawstring bag once he has troughed his way through the contents!!

Filled with Haribo sweets and chocolate coins (reduced to 25p in Boots incidentally!!)- I don't think its bad for a 20 minute rush job!!

edited to say thank you for my recent tags and awards...I'm a bit rubbish at doing anything about them but I promise to try and remember to post about them later x

Nifty Thrifting

Last week I spent just over ten pounds on this lot of lovelies.....people must be having a post Christmas clear out...

First up was the vintage scales..a bit shabby but for £3, I'm happy!

My favourite charity shop didn't let me down

And I discovered these in my favourite charity shop's sister shop across town...pretty china posy

and cute china brooch - shown here on my spring jacket...hopefully won't be too long before it comes out of the wardrobe!!

I was asked about what I planned to do with my flag cushions, well a couple are for me, well our new bedroom (which is still not done - sore point -from it'll be done by Christmas...to it'll definately be done by end of January...to getting a stare when I asked if it would be done by the time we get married!!). The others are presents, I think.

(quick message to say thank you to my lovely bloggy friends for your kind words following my post of self pity..I really appreciate it xx I'm feeling a bit better today, just a few tears at bedtime tonight....mine!!)

Flag Day

Current sewing obsession....

and cut out ready to rock tomorrow!! Straight lines - lots of them...right up my street - my machine doesn't seem to like curves!!!

Feeling the need for new fabric -after no spend January obviously ;) xx

Sunday

Well after Fridays craziness the weekend got calmer.

I still can't get hold of my neighbour (I'm sure he isn't avoiding me!!) but I took the baby to a birthday party and we took the big boys to be measured for wedding suits - and that was it all weekend.

While the other half stripped the paper in our bedroom (ready to paint white with his new toy) I played in my workroom - finishing the bits I've been making for the January swap over on SCC - and making a noticeboard for my kitchen and playing around to make a new header.....

The noticeboard is a circle of MDF (which I got off a lady on freecycle a couple of years ago, she gave me 4 or 5 I think), covered in wadding and fabric (duck egg gingham by globaltex), I used spray adhesive and pva to fix down the wadding/fabric - from the front it looks fab!! Just need some heavy duty velcro stuff so I can fix it to my (built in) fridge.

Because its MDF there is no hope of pins sticking into it, so I am using some of my long heart topped pins (a bit thick for sewing really!!).

It feels good to have done something that I didn't need to do - just for me!!

Busy

Been doing the post Christmas tidy up and washing catch up.....went food shopping for the first time since before Christmas...and this.....

(Also my Country Living came today too, which is back on track imo.)

We went up north for New Year (I'm not a New Year fan but we had a good time and I stayed awake and everything lol!!), that little lot was waiting on the table for me when I got home.

My mother in law (who had put our bins out etc) must think I am super extravagent, squandering away her sons hard earned on frivolous magazines lol!!

But you shouldn't judge a book (or mag) by its cover....

Now I shall justify my current magazine glut...none of them have cost me real cash...(Country Living I subscribedto through Tesco clubcard deals) I have taken out a 3 month trial (which I will cancel)- most found through MSE - a couple of them I will keep on (like CHI for example), but the others are ok but I'm not right bothered!! English Home is delicious eye candy but a bit rich for my tastes lol!!

I fell lucky in that I took out the offer in October/November so I got more Christmas editions than I would have otherwise paid real money for! I now have a good afternoons chopping and pasting my bestest pics into scrap books ahead of me.

I've not had a problem when cancelling, but you do have to remember when the offer ends so you can act accordingly in order that you don't pay full whack, but it was worth it for the luxury (to me) of having 6 mags on my doorstep each month!!

So thats Claires Thrifty Tip for January lol!! I'm trying to have a no spend month - so if you see me near anything non wedding related, shout!!!

Christmas Catch Up

Its all over.

My big tree is down (done last night before mr dollop returned to work so he could play with his new electric saw!!) and it has made me feel very empty and sad!! I was very pleased with my tree this year, it served us very well for lots of cosy evenings sat watching tv and chatting and drinking and eating - which is a whole new blog post - 9lb and me having to get in my wedding dress in just over 8 weeks time - anyhoo I digress...Christmas!!

We have had the best Christmas ever, presents aside (of which there were many!), it has been fantastic having my husband to be at home with us and not having anything to do!! He gets very little time off and what is is used for our annual holiday and the odd long weekend, or decorating!! So we have enjoyed just being at home and, well just being!!

Christmas Day started at 6am...this was our eldest aged 13 1/2....he woke the others up! Downstairs we went to see if he'd been...he had and had eaten his mince pie and drank his cup of tea (3yr old insisted FC would want a cup of tea!)

The boys were all thrilled with their presents - mucho excitement - and we had a harmonious morning while they investigated new gadgets, played with and shared (yes shared!!) all their new things.

We enjoyed warm croissants (a dollop family tradition) for breakfast, then I started to get lunch ready for us plus my parents in law. Usually mum is down for Christmas Day but she was spending it this year with my brother and new baby, so I actually had to cook dinner, not pretend to while mum did it all :)

It went smoothly...and the only thing I forgot were the bacon and sausage rolls which I found in the fridge on Boxing Day....and they weren't missed!!

After lunch was spent chatting and watching rubbish tv, and eating chocolate.

The boys all went to bed very happy little men. To begin again on Boxing Day for Christmas Part 2 when Grandma arrived!!

She arrived early, about 9 am - we were in bed, such good hosts lol!! Presents galore for boys and us again, followed by a huge fried (and grilled and poached!!) breakfast, then games and cards when my in laws came round for Boxing Day tea.

I was treated very well this Christmas, the other half excelled himself with his choice of gifts, my mum (who always does me a stocking of goodies) proved yet again how well she knows me -

The CL sewing basket, and the overnight bag (not a Christmas present per se...mum treated me on the 27th when we walked into town for the sales!!), lovely willow tree memory box...

Lovely CK goodness!! The pin tin and cushion were from my friend, who also wins the prize for best wrapped gift!!!

It took me a long time to open let me tell you!! crafty stuff - felt and scissors in the beautiful package and pretty pink and spotty felt from mum.I was very spoilt this year - I also got DVD's, socks, electric toothbrush, even more smellies, a cute egg safe filled with egg cosies and jam and a lovely framed picture of me and the other half from my brother and sister in law that they took when we were in Padstow in the summer...and we both look almost normal on it lol!!

this pretty cushion - from mum - she got it in Ireland at a craft fair, perfect for my yet to be decorated bedroom!! And cute little bird tree decoration, that mum got in France at the Christmas markets, she goes every year (not always France) and I'm yet to make it with her...pregnancy, breastfeeding are just 2 of the excuses in the last 4 years lol!! But I always get a decoration for my tree or house...I wired this one up for my tree as I couldn't think what else to do with it...And finally, the end of Boxing Day...a bath with new bubbles and snuggled up in new jarmies (H&M and CK!!) Father Christmas couldn't resist the cowboy print with it being my favourite.....(I know, I know! I slagged off CK in the last post I'm such a hypocrite!!!)

I wanted the other 2 to have their pic taken in their jim jams but was met with much eye rolling and told to get a life!!

So there it is my Christmas...no pics of boys pressies...mine are far more interesting!!!