Can you guess what it is yet?

I thought I would share with you a strange happening in my garden. The wood fairy ( he wasn't fairy like at all really but it sounded better than 'the wood man') came in the week and delivered piles of timber and they seem to be taking root in the ground.

Can you guess what it might be??? Its only my best dream come true and I am so excited !!! But you will have to wait to find out what it is unless you have guessed already.

Where do I start?

Well its been busy round here lately, there has been jam making, thifting, making, harvesting and a visit to the knitting and stitching show.

A bountiful harvest for soup and crumble making.

Here is a picture of my favourite stall at the knitting and stitching show, its Worn and Washed from Kim Porter she sells rolls of recycled fabrics bunched together in different colour themes. They are like jelly rolls just recycled fabrics from old shirts, bedlinen etc. My HB bought me a large bundle last Christmas and I made a beautiful quilt from it, it was my first ever quilt and its pretty and snugly, perfect for a retro caravan quilt. I bought a small roll this time mainly checks in red and blue perfect for a small quilt for OB to match his pirate theme in his nursery.

This time I will hand quilt it like the picture above I love its rustic look.

Here is what I have been busy making for a friend who has just had a baby.

I made the blanket from Anna Maria Horner's flannel and got the label idea from a book called 'Last minute patchwork gifts' its printed on printable cotton and then I tried my skills at embroidery. I was really pleased with the result and hope the little girl cherishes it for years to come.

Some crazy old fabrics I found looking for someone to rescue them in the charity shop. I don't have any projects in mind yet I need them to be neatly folded on the shelf and left to wait for inspiration.  

We have been harvesting loads of blackberries and damsons lately so I thought I would have a go at making a jelly with them. It's a hedgerow jelly I mixed them with elderberries, and some random red and blackcurrents we froze after picking them in the summer. I didn't take a picture of the finished products but be assured my toast loved it. The book is from river cottage 'The preserve book'. I've done loads of the recipes from it tomato sauce, preserved pears, pickled garlic, souper mix they have all been easy to make and taste great.

Here is a gratuitous bakery shot inspired by the best programme in a long time ' The great British Bake off' they were chocolate and vanilla Viennese whirls. I love baking and tend to do it a bit too much at the moment. I have to give them to my HB to take to work so I don't eat too many. I just like making stuff be it food, craft or art.

Happy weekend I hope it full of crafting, baking and all things nice.



Little bites of delight

For my birthday this year my friend bought me a cup cake course, where we would learn how to decorate teeny weeny cakes. I have been so looking forward to it for ages. Sunday we travelled to London near Camden town. The day was organised by Cocoa Box in a hotel. We started piping the cupcakes and they were then baked in a mini oven.

We learnt to make sugar craft bows, ice cream cones and cupcakes to decorate the tops of iced cakes.

We also piped swirls and decorated them with all sorts of sugary delights and edible glitter for cup cake bling.

We had to decorate 8 cakes but unfortunately the box they supply can only carry 6. I had to carry the other two in my tummy, such a shame.

We had a great time only a shame it didn't last very long.

Here are a few of my vintage finds from this week a big haul in the charity shop. I' m loving the cherry tablecloth not quite sure what to do with the material yet.Hmmm, some sort of nylon concoction.

Rainy day activites

We had a stay at home day today- building dens with the living room furniture, making cushions and eating jaffa cakes. Little OB had his first taste of den building using blankets and cushions from the furniture. He loved it so did Spike the naughty kitten, lauching himself on our heads as we snuggled under the covers.

When the weather improved in the afternoon we headed outside to play on his tractor and in his water filled sand pit. I got time to do my folksy photoshoot, under the summer house, except someone else got in on the act.

Despite the help from Holly I got all my photos done. The bunting didn't come out as good as I wanted but I think it looks pretty. I just wanted it to look more arty, blowing in the breeze, its hard to capture the right look with a ugly barn with corrugated iron in the background.

Oh well, the cakestand looked good staged as a vintage tea party. So upset I wasn't invited and there were no cakes!

Thats all for now.

Have fun.

Splashing about

Yesterday had a promising start with a brilliant blue sky, so off to the Splash park we went. It's a outdoor, splashy, water jet park its great fun. Little OB loved it running in and out of the water jets. This only lasted about ten minutes and then he was more interested in where the water went- into the drains.

Then we had a quick walk by the river to see the boats, its very picturesque.

In the style of Bobobun we visited the Wednesday boot sale, I got a whole hour to look around before Little OB started to launch himself from the buggy. I got some great vintage buttons for the backs of my cushions and some 50's barkcloth with rich orange flowers on it. I have no idea what to use it for yet but no doubt I'll think of something. I also found a book man where I bought three lovely ladybird books, I was disappointed when he told me he started the morning with 80 books with their original dust covers. Mental note- Must go earlier next week.

Well thats it for now, Squiggle

Fun in the sun?

Well, we had some sun on our short break to Mersea Island, not much but some, we took our little caravan, my parents and two little monkeys and set off for a bit of fun. Little OB had his cousin to play with and spent the entire time laughing with her. We have a giant bike trailer that's also a buggy so getting them and all their toys to the beach is a breeze. This was when we decided to get the tiny ferry to Brightlingsea, the ferry man had to do two trips as their were lots of people waiting, it can only carry about ten people. We had a 40 min walk to the beach where the ferry lands and about five mins until we arrived to go in the lido. Errhh the weather put a stop to those plans as it was very windy and pretty cold so we stopped at the salt water pond and its little beach and played in the sand.

We spent the rest of the break relaxing and walking along the very long sea wall taking in the fresh sea air and getting lots of exercise. I love the colourful beach huts in East Mersea especially the ones with bunting hanging up- I can't resist the pretty little flags blowing in the wind.

We had a lovely time and can't wait to go back as soon as we can. I got some crocheting done to, my hexagon blanket is growing, slowly but it is growing.

OHH it looks like I was inspired by the colours of the beach huts, maybe I was..

Taking The plunge!!

Well this is it I am starting a blog and going to stick with it. I am on the internet enough looking at all other people and their crafty lifes so I have taken the plunge. Hope I am interesting enough for someone to read this!

I live in Essex in a small cottage with my husband and little 18mth old 'LOB'. We also have 11 chickens, a ragdoll cat and a tag along moggy with two little 8 week old kittens squeezed in with us. Its getting cramped.

Well in the spirit of other blogs here's what I have been up to so far this week. We had planned a family day out today to Brightlingsea to try out the lido and the icecream but the rain put paid to that so I finished off some teeny tiny projects. I made some crocheted flower squares months ago to make into a flowery cushion but other things got in the way and quicker granny squares won. So I decided to make them into small lavender cushions and backed them with some vintage fabrics from my ever expanding stash.

I stuffed them with polyfil and dried lavender and popped them in my etsy shop. I thought I would give etsy and folksy a go to see if I could sell things I make.

I only started crocheting in January. My friend booked me on a crochet course in John Lewis for my christmas present. I was useless in the class and felt like the class dunce but I was determined so when I got home I practised and practised until I got it and had a eureka moment and then I was off.

I have made lots of granny square cushions and have started a hexagon blanket to complete the look of my cath kidston bedding. Lots of bright colours it could take years for me to finish.

I have also found a new book this week for more crafty ideas ''The Homemade Home''. LOB and me went to have a quick look around Hyde Hall RHS gardens this week and found it in their shop. I haven't heard of it before and it has lots of good ideas for thifty projects around the home. I loved the china transfer idea, taking children's drawings and using a special transfer paper to put it on plain china to spruce it up, really cute. There is other good stuff too, nice cushion ideas and other bits and pieces too. When I get around to trying it out I' ll show you.

Well that's it for now, have fun.