magazine swap

I was really excited to be taking part in Floss's no strings magazine swap, at the thought of feasting my eyes on a non English magazine...
I was partnered with Juanita, and received a package from her at the weekend.

I love the lovely touch on the envelope - a felt stamp..genius....I love it!!!

And inside, Living &More.....Not a mag thats available in the UK (or if it is I've never clapped eyes on it!!!). I knew from the cover I was going to love it!!

Juanita hoped I would find some inspiration from this magazine....I'll let my favourite pictures answer that one!!!
this is lovely husbands favourite..he's a sucker for a woodburner shot!!!

I am in love with the crochet..the colours are fabulous.

Valentines food..heart shaped eggs or heart shaped courgette and mushroom pastries for tea!!

spring flowers and a crafty idea for displaying spring flowers.

I love this little girls bedroom..the LA wallpaper with hot pink bedding.

sigh* look away now if you are prone to shoe envy...

Thank You Juanita, we have had a lot of pleasure out of looking at the pictures in the mag and I hope my package gets to you soon.

An Award

Thank You MelMel for my award (over on my sidebar).

Now I get to share 5 current obsessions of mine.

Number 1 will have to be ebay.

I have a love hate relationship with ebay. I go through phases of buying/selling/looking. Just now I am listing lots of clothes and baby things. When I have things selling I can't leave it alone - checking checking checking!!

I sell so I can buy....currently I am looking at clothes and shoes and vintage fabric, but I go through stages, could be fabric, kitcheny stuff, crafty things. I have had a run of good ebay purchasing, items that are exactly as described, gorgeous as new red birkenstocks for a tenner, top shop wool skirt (ready for the winter!!) for £2 - but I have had some horrors, baby sleepsuits with orange food stains on the front just one example!! Grease stains down the front of a Monsoon cardigan anyone??

Number 2, House magazines aka House Porn!!!

Nuff said!!!- most of these are from the cheapy trial subscriptions you can get, 3 for £1 etc. All finished now so I shall resist until the Christmas beauties come out :)

Gives me time to chop through these for my inspiration pile!

Number 3

Reading..... I always have at least one book on the go, often more and recently I have been getting through a lot of books.

I have got back into the habit of using the library too. Our service is excellent for requesting books, online ordering then an email when its in your branch.

Number 4 - Came about as a result of number 3!! Vampires!!

I know the Twilight books have been VERY popular in blogland - I loved them, really couldn't put them down. I haven't seen the movie yet as (crazy thoughts now!!) I am scared too. Not ghosty ghouly scared but scared it will shatter the images in my head of the characters and ruin the romance for me!!! I will watch soon though as I am starting to find it hard to resist, especially as the actor playing Edward is extreeeemly easy on the eye ;)

For the record, Edward didn't do it for me in any of the books, even in the last one - Jacob all the way please!!!

I have also been watching (well sky+ ing) FX's TrueBlood.....anyone else watching???....I am loving it. I just love the concept of Vampires living amongst us. True Blood is dark, and certainly not for the faint hearted - the sex scenes are bordering on porn!! But don't let that spoil it for you hehe!! If you are a Twilight fan, you will get it. I think I have sussed out the killer too, (thats not a spoiler stands to reason that there will be murders in a post watershed programme!!) thanks to Twilight I feel I have an insight to the vampire/werewolf scene lol!!

The series is based on a book/s so I think I will have a read but after I've found out who the killer is and see if my theory is correct ;)!!!!

And finally, don't hate me....but Number 5 is Christmas

I am waking up in the night thinking of crafty things I want to make. And how little time I have.Including an advent calender(which I talked about to a fellow blogger in May...if I recall I was going to start it in June *coughs and moves on*!!!!)

I am planning handmade gifts, edible and non edible. I even read Nigella's Christmas the other day, planning our Christmas menu!!
I bought this book last new year and seriously CANNOT WAIT to make things from it!!

(didn't pay that much for it though wow!!)

I have bought a few bits and pieces, made a few notes in my notebook about gift ideas for the children. I know how I want to wrap my presents up fancy!!

On the other hand I have just bought this book.....and want it to be read as a family to try and make Christmas more spiritual and simpler than other years.

ooh getting excited - where can I find a Christmas Countdown widget for me sidebar - HoHoHo!!!

I have taken ages gettin g round to doing this post so won't tag anyone but if you have a freakin' fabulous blog - do take the award!!xxx

House Porn

Today this plopped on my door mat....

After I finished hyperventilating, I noticed that the nice people at CHI had sent me (and I'm sure everybody else) a 2009 calendar full of lush Laura Ashley room set pictures.

My patio is sure to look like this in July!!!

And this will be my lounge in November......

And my back door in January 2010!!

So I'm now going to give the bathrooms a quick flick so I can sit down and enjoy!!