ted and agnes

hail to granny chic

Today I dedicate my post to that institution that is 'Granny Chic'...Whilst blundering about Flickr yesterday looking for lovely inspirational photos to brighten my day came across this simply marvellous group set up by Granny Lover Emma Lamb (who also has a delightful blog I hasten to add)

Obviously I joined immediately but didn't have time to browse all that fab grannyness so to honour all things granny I decided to bake up a batch of rock buns & sneak a bit of crocheting in.....and might just wander off to my new find....

delights of show & tell

I picked up a copy of Homes & Antiques this month, I don't know why as its not a mag that I usually even flick through but it called me from the shelf. So imagine my delight as I came across this article.

Our very own Julia at Vintage Heaven. It was lovely to take a proper peek into Julia's lovely home & the photos were great.

I am so glad that people share their homes with all of us, it is such an inspiration & a kick up the rear for me when I'm feeling a bit gloomy about a messy corner or plaster falling off the wall.

I know some may feel it's a bit showy offy but honestly if you think that about people then shame on you look at the delights you are missing. We all take inspiration from different sources so thank goodness for those who open up and share their homes...

And on that note thought you might like to see my new pew...I absolutely love it and its my fave piece of furniture to date and yes I think I am going to show off about it!

So the moral of this post is please keep inviting us into your homes because they are wonderful, inspiring, exciting & they brighten up my day!  

ps... thanks for all your comments regarding the sewing machine I am really grateful and I think I am going to look around for someone I trust to service the old girl before I rush out and buy a new model...will be choosing a random comment on Sunday and then the notebook will be on its way.....
 
 
 

twittering away

This week I have given into the temptation and joined twitter, I have resisted signing up before knowing that I use such applications not to get on with jobs...thinking to myself I'll just have a quick cuppa and 5 mins online 2 hrs later it time to collect the kids from school and mess is all around! You know the story...

Although there has been some copious timewasting this week I am really glad I joined and have loved twitter right from the start. It has given me the chance to get to know and interact with the people behind the blogs I love to read, cowboys & custard, vintage pleasure, yvestown, for starters plus the added bonus of finding a few new ones...swirly arts, kitschy coo, snap dragon garden and so many more which I hope to mention in future posts

it has opened my eyes to all sorts of new & exciting things I'd like to buy, hunkydory home...I will be buying one of these fabulous posters

 

been a great source of information with the links that people kindly post (or should I say 'tweet') help save bees esp relevant to my new venture (more on that later), a few famous bods Kirstie Allsopp, Jonathon Ross & Mr Oliver have made me smile, chuckle & snort more than once which can only be a good thing in my book.

So with strict rules about the blackhole that is cyberspace I will be twittering away to my hearts content (yeah yeah I know I will be wasting time but enjoying it....)

while i was away

we had a fab week away in Wales at a wonderful campsite called Graig Wen

there were campfire frolics

pole dancin baby

nutella from a spoon!!!!

a tree bog, lots of bike riding, finding new friends, swearing when they thought mum & dad couldn't hear....lots of food Tom's highlight, spiced rum in hot chocolate (just a drop for effect) rolling out of bed and beautiful Welsh countryside.

Can definately recommend this campsite, well set up, welcoming and camp fires allowed!

what have we been up to while we've been away......

survived the depths of PND

been to New York twice!

my little boy suddenly grew up

finally got on top of the housework after a rather long baby break

got a pashley...my new baby

lost a dear feline friend

neighbours from hell moved out looking forward to new ones

had a fabulous camping holiday in Wales

got a greenhouse which takes pride of place in the wilderness that is my garden

having fun with my new android phone

off to holland for 1/2 term

maybe getting some bees & hive thanks to local scheme (lifetime ambition tick)

still no aga (lifetime ambition....still waiting!!)

Keith back from New York but off to Holland boo...at least we see him at weekends now

Feeling much more settled and life feels like it can move forward again and get on with things that I love, like and have to do! 

11 wks to go.....and dreaming of trousers!

I have so much to do....I am soooo tired, after working lots of extra shifts at the library this week its taking its toll....along with 2 boys to occupy I am turning into a very grumpy muther!

So in an attempt to cheer myself up I've been browsing my fav site of the moment....

It's a fab resource for all into stitchery, with great downloadable patterns, an amazing 'how to guide' with some great tutorials and lots of members photos which are always really inspiring.

I am drooling over these yummy trousers at the moment Nicola 9175

and have just aquired this pattern from ebay in the states after a review on Sew Tessuti an brilliant blog on all things sewing, stitching, fabric ....

as I'm a bit of a sucker for a nice trouser especially with my fav converse boots.....can't wait to be able to fit in normal clothes again! So to fill in the endless hours of waiting I'm planning, pattern cutting and searching for suitable fabrics as even pinning & cutting fabric is hard work at the mo as the bump is squishing the wind from my sails!

Been a bit bleuuuugh...

Still here but haven't posted for a while as Easter visitors, not much sleep, completely knackered (thanks progesterone) and feelin sick pretty much all day.....can't face any food but rice crackers & cream cheese.....& orange juice!

Been knitting lots cute socks & booties..pics to come

Will announce my giveaway winner in a couple of days stay tuned....Take Care All Rxxxx

last night i woke up.....

and I thought I was dreaming that the house was shaking.....i went back to sleep! This morning I found out that i wasn't dreaming in fact we had an earthquake....my first, how surreal!

Good intentions….

So despite my good intentions in early January to blog daily I have already been a bit slack. ….but do have a good excuse it seems. We finally took delivery of our new washing machine old one went bang a week before Christmas, so I have had a washing pile the size of a small country to deal with plus the added bonus of rearranging the entire top floor of the house. This includes my fabric stash which has been a major operation.

I was going to take some wonderful pictures of the mess I had made but decided against it as it was all a bit much.

Meanwhile I have been reading avidly other peoples blogs (instead of working I might add) and they have been inspiring me loads esp Cherry's Blog 'Tales from Pixie Wood' A lady after my own heart especially when it come to dealing with the vacant stare of my OH when I have been up to mischief whilst the men of the house have been at work & school….

I have also been contemplating my future career as an artist. 2007 was a nightmare for me with the 2^nd half completely wiped out with the flooding, just surviving everyday with a wrecked ground floor and then the rebuilding stage and keeping some normality of everyday life was not exactly conducive to creative production. I have one exhibition booked next year and I am reluctant to book in anymore as finding the space in my head to think/create work that I am happy with has been increasingly difficult. Being an artist, at least a successful one for me means selfishness, solitude and the space to work when I want, these don't go hand in hand with a family life and running a household. This and Jane Brocket's book 'The Gentle Art of Domesticity' have got me thinking about how I could mesh the two parts of my life together into creating work that I am both happy with but also gets the jobs done on that long list of 'to do's.

I was awarded a grant from the arts council in early 2007 to research & develop new work and to move my career forward but it seems to have cast a shadow about my artistic future. Now my calamity of a life has begun to level itself out I am back to the drawing board.

So the question I am asking myself is ' How can art become my daily life????' More later……..I need to contemplate & sip tea!

Sometime now…

So finally I have decide to plunge myself into the word of blogging. I have thought about it at various times in the past and even half heartily begun a couple of random blogs but have never been inspired enough to carry on. So the decision to start came after 2 days of suffering in bed with a horrid winter sickness bug that had taken out the entire family over Christmas. Balancing laptop on a cushion I spent 48 hrs reading through page after page of a cornucopia of amazing info shared by some pretty cool people. What an inspiration….How could I not join this wonderful community……

So here goes………………