Lazy Sew and Sew!

Not one to be lying around doing nothing, I was surprised to find myself lolling around like a spare part on the bed this afternoon.  I'd just had a bath and hair wash and was snuggled up in Big Dressing Gown (I have three in various sizes depending on weather and comfort) and just couldn't be arsed to do anything for, ooooh, at least five minutes.  That's why I'm blogging now, even though I have nothing to say, really.  Had to shift and do something!

Anyway, remember the manky stool I bought for £1.50?

 A lick of Farrow and Ball's Shaded White and some pretty fabric and voila!

Worth at least £2 now!

Have a lovely rest of the Bank Holiday xxx

New Buys and a Cake Plop

Strolled around the Wednesday car boot yesterday in the damp yet strangely warm morning.  The weather improved to sunny and hot but today is heavy rain - yeugh!  Just a few purchases but I also paid the charity shops a visit.  Here is my booty:

Two oh-so-cute salt and pepper pots, 50p

Two heart-shaped baking trays for 40p

Little dummy and shiny bird.  I buy the dummies and  shabby-chic them up.

Two swatches of pretty fabric

Maxwell Williams plate for 25p

Battered old stool and metal container, £2.50 the pair

 I sort of guessed that the heart trays were in the car boot because they stuck good and proper.

I was right!

However I got eight lovely cake tops which, when filled with cream and homemade plum and cherry jam and stuck together, went down a treat.

The remainder of the cake is going to be a trifle base when it grows up.

The stool is now dismantled, sanded, sugar-soaped and awaiting primer, paint and a new seat covering.  The container is primed and awaiting paint.  Why do I add so many WIPs and UFOs to my life when I have enough things already on the go?  I must like a challenge!

Where Did That Weekend Go!

Hello peeps!  I've been reading about everyone's lovely weekends and am glad to say I had one too.

On Saturday Mr C, Daughter C, Son-in-Law C and I went to a traditional village horticultural show as we had put entries in.  Daughter C's work colleague lives there and is on the event committee so we did our bit to help her.  The sun was hot and shiny, the birds were singing and we won some awards - what could be better?

Yummy homemade produce in Village Hall

Mr C and Daughter C by the onions

Mr C's Third Place Tomatoes

Up one place, Mr C's Brown Bread

And in First Place, Mr C's Other Tomatoes (excuse funny bit of photo at top - a long story)

Daughter C took third place in Decorated Cupcakes.  They thought she'd bought the bugs, but she'd made them from M&M's!  Would have won otherwise.

    On Sunday I had a craft stall at a Fun Day and mini Music Festival.  Again the weather triumphed but sadly people came just for the music really and I, like the other crafters, barely made back the fee I paid for the stall.  On the plus side I had loads of really nice comments including a "Wow!" from a little girl with great taste.  Still on the plus side I had a whole day of being able to sit, knit and listen to a great variety of music including folk, reggae, jazz, synth and samba. 

My stall

Still my stall

Some of the brilliant acrobatics from two of the Earthbound Misfits.  One of this clever group of people actually did all the urban free running stunts for the TV series Misfits. 

 Worst thing of the day?  I broke one of my best beautiful Knit Pro knitting needles getting back into the car!

Wool Week - A Whole Week of Wool!

I have become so entangled in knitty stuff and crochet recently, with lots of projects on the go.  I was, therefore, excited when leafing through my Mollie Makes ...

This one, page 19

... to see the Campaign for Wool's promotion of  Love Wool - Wool Week, 5th to 11th September!  Now what can I do to celebrate this?  Hmm, must think.  I've taken to crocheting on the bus to and from work - maybe I should crochet a sheep out of real wool that week.

This Wednesday was our 37th Wedding Anniversary (OMG!)  Apparently the modern gift for 37 years is alabaster.  Odd.

www.traditionalegypt.co.uk

We decided it was our Go Out for a Meal Anniversary, as per all the others, so had a delicious evening at Figs , a lovely seafront restaurant just a few streets away from our house.  

Once we got home, Mr C attempted a romantic gesture by sending off a Chinese Lantern to mark the event.  We're not huge fans of these as they can cause damage and injury, but had one in from Christmas so thought it was a good opportunity to use it.  Did I just say "they can cause damage"?  Mr C and fire don't go together well.  He loves it but has had many interesting incidents with it.  True to form, the lantern's course, which was eventually high in the air and beautiful, got slightly diverted onto our patio umbrella.  We can't fail to remember our anniversary now until we buy a new parasol next summer ... oh, and a new jumper and sock for Mr C, which also managed to get in the way!

Oops!

Yay!

Just a quick post to tell those who sent me good luck messages that they worked ... I got the job!

(punches air and does silly dance)

Cracking Yarn, Gromit!

The lovely Flyhoof sent me a bundle of her own yarns, made up from stash leftovers, for my knitting group at A Good Yarn.  Oh Joy!  This lady is so clever with her carding, spinning, felting and beautiful knitted scarves. 

Just look at this!

I had to do a lot of stroking and petting before I took them along and plopped them in pride of place near the cakes.  The other ladies didn't know which was the tastiest!

I knitted up a little sample and can't wait to see what the other knitters create by next Saturday.

mmmmm.... wool ...

... and pizza!

The Good, The Bad and The Very Ugly

Grandbaby 2 has managed her first smile!  I think that's very GOOD.

Also GOOD is crocheting, which I am far too heavily into for my own GOOD and the GOOD of my house, which never gets a tidy these days.  I used my £1 bundle of Gaucho pure new wool to make Bridget a little blankie, as she's getting very old now.

Third GOOD thing - completed my birdies and have plenty of other ideas rattling around my tiny brain.

BAD things - the weather, which stopped me going to a car boot sale this morning,  the short time I have to make enough stuff for my craft stall on the Sunday after next and the wait I have before I know if my interview went well enough to scoop me up the job.  Mind you, all these are very small beer compared to the

UGLY...

I don't want to go on about this but I'm sooooooooooo angry I just had to mention it!

Let's end on a happier note.  I've been stuck on 43 followers for ages, so I'm not going to wait for 50 and I'll be doing a giveaway very shortly.  Watch this space...

Can't Keep Up!

If there was such a thing as a job for a full-time blog reader, I'd be applying.  You all write such lovely, fascinating stuff and I just don't have the time to read and comment on every post.  I wish I did.

 

I'm quite busy now, sewing and knitting and crocheting (oh, and trying to fit in a bit of housework, and two jobs!) so I'll just do show and tell for now:

Jasmine has a new pushchair for her babies.  This had to be dragged down to the beach and over the sand (yes, by nanny!)

This is the living room during babysitting.  At least she is well-stimulated and very busy having fun.

The garden is taking us over, but the produce is delish...

...tomatoes ripening...

... green beans lengthening ...

... onions climbing up to the light ...

...beetroots, hmm - beetrooting ...

... apples turning red ...

... and flowers just being pretty.

Couldn't resist buying this as it's a saying I live by

 I also bought two bundles of wool for a £1 per bundle.  I'm making a doggy blanket with the pure wool, as it's quite itchy and thick

and I've yet to think of a use for this lovely stash of nubbly yarns

Well, my lovelies, I have an interview for my own job this week, so fingers crossed that all goes well.  

Have a wonderful week! x

Skirt plus Half an Hour equals Bag

Couldn't resist such pretty material so I bought a Primark skirt which was too big from a charity shop.  I was going to use it for scraps but a bag just jumped out at me.

Half an hour later I'd cut off the bottom to create straps, stitched up fabric and lining and added buttons, nothing more.  Et voila!

This is a disastrous photo I tried to take to show what it looked like in situ.  Doh!

Grandbaby C No. 2's cardi is now complete.  It's a much prettier green really.

... and finally...

Can you believe Aldi has retro style?  I couldn't resist this lovely vintage-y set of kitchen accessories!