My 1st Blog Award!

Wow it feels like an age since I last posted! I've been having major problems with my internet connection - we currently use a dongle (which only works when it feels like it) as we're having some issues with getting a landline connected in our new house, I swear I'll never buy a 'new-build' again!!!

I managed to get the dongle in a good mood this morning and found when I checked my blog that half the photo's I thought I'd posted on my last entry were missing - this has now been rectified so please re-read the post!! As well as finding out that the lovely Beth from over at The Linen Cat has nominated me for a beautiful blog award - woop woop!

So in order to accept the award I have to tell you all 7 random things about myself. Here goes.

1. I have 2 degrees! I gained my 1st at 21 having gone through the education system as is expected and got a BA(Hons) Education & English. I used to be a primary school teacher and when I had 'Little Miss H' (who is 7 in a couple of weeks!) I decided to have a career change and so went back to university and re-trained as a paediatric nurse!

2. I have a Japanese Akita dog. Oh No! I hear you all cry a dangerous dog with young children - rest assured she is not trained to kill and would probably lick you to death before eat you, but that is a whole other discussion!!


3. I am a bit on the post children podgy side and have embarked today on my final lose weight, tone-up scheme ever. I say this because this time I intend to stick to it and win my battle of the bulge! I need to be/will be slimmer and more toned for my wedding/holiday this July!

4. I am a parent governor at my children's school.

5. I just love coffee, freshly made on the stove, Italian style. Actually I'm wanting to buy a proper coffee maker but as they cost so much I'm a bit worried about buying one that is then rubbish so if anyone has any recommendations let me have 'em!

6. I LOVE 'GLEE'!!

7. I think we're going to emigrate to New Zealand in 2012.

Well there you have them 7 random facts about myself! I now need to pass the award onto two other blogs so I would like to nominate:

Karen at Blueberry Park and Louise at Sew Scrumptious.I find both their blogs a great read and very inspiring and look forward to their new posts. I would however at this stage like to thank all of you who read my blog, especially those who take the time to comment and to those of you who simply 'lurk' - go on make a comment it opens up a whole new world! Thanks again.

A Happy Smiley Day!

Today I've had a lovely day. Today was my birthday! I dropped the little people at school and then spent the day with my mum in York, persuing some much needed retail therapy.....
When I awoke this morning I was presented with the following by 'Little Miss H' and 'Master M'


I only got my Pandora bracelet for Valentine's day but I love it love it love it! The kids love choosing beads for it, in addition to todays handbag I also have a band of eternal hearts from the little people for Mother's day and a silver ball inlaid with black hearts from Mr. G. Lush.
Whilst in York we had lunch at the famous 'Betty's Tearooms' and of course went here.....

From my favourite ever ever shop I treated myself to the following, (well Mr. G did the treating actually!)A new more streamlined handbag, I am sick of carting around everything and the kitchen sink in my current CK handbag! Some oven gloves and yummy tea towels for the kitchen, an underbed storage bag (very cute) and a lovely new mug.I also treated myself to these gorgeous hareem/dhoti pants from 'Fat Face' and these cute espadrilles from River Island.


I'm sure like most mum's out there I couldn't leave the little people out so here's what I bought them.
A lovely skirt for 'Little Miss H' from Mexx and cool vest top for 'Master M' also from Mexx. 'Little Miss H' also got a fab yellow cardigan from Joules and 'Master M' got the very blue dream catcher - he keeps having nightmares and then insists on getting in bed with us, he looked at me like I'd gone mad when I told him about dreamcatchers a couple of weeks ago, (a similar look to the one he gave me when I told him his friend was stuck on holiday in Dubai because of a volcano and so 'no' he couldn't go to his house to play!) I just hope it does the trick!

In a sewing update, I have at last completed a small amount of the 'to do' list from my last post but one! I have indeed made a selection of goodies for my friend Dawn over at 'Pop-i-cok' by way of thanking her for my blog graphics. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!


I made her three decorated lavender bags (one of which has one of my crochet flowers on it - woop woop!), a felt cupcake keyring and a felt flower brooch, here are closer pictures.


I am also well on my way with finishing my friends very late birthday goodies but the curtains are still not made. Oh well.

Emotional News......

You know there are times when life is really challenging and in the space of 24hrs everything changes. Well that just happened to me.

I found out yesterday that a friend who is very dear to me. A friend who was my rock when 'Little Miss H' was born and diagnosed with Down Syndrome. A friend whom I have slowly drifted apart from over the last few years.....Why does that happen? Why do we let life get in the way of friendship? Is now a friend who is very much in need. I have just found out that my friend is an alcoholic.

I have spent the morning at her mum's getting the full lowdown on the situation. It's bad. I called her, we haven't spoken for at least 6 mths. She didn't answer. I left a voicemail just letting her know that I know, that I'm there for her. Thank God she rang me back. We're meeting tomorrow and I hope I can help her work through this before it's too late. And yes, it really is that desperately bad.

I wanted to share that snippet of news and my heartfelt apologies if it has clouded your day, but you know I just needed to put it out there. To share it. I sense I have an incredibly difficult journey to undertake and though Mr. G knows the situation I feel he is worried about the impact it will all have on our life. The poor guy already deals with the stresses of my job, I am not very good at hiding my feelings so some days by the time I get home from work I am a mess. Unfortunately in my line of work distress and ultimately death are never far away, though it doesn't get any easier no matter how many times you experience it.

If my postings become more sporadic please bear with me, life will be just taking its toll. I have a feeling though that I may just turn into a late night blogger trying to squeeze it all in, if anyone knows where to get extra hours let me know!! If you've read this far thanks for being my cyberspace buddy and I promise not to post another depressing story. Ever. (Well maybe not ever but certainly not about this for a very long time!) Thank-you.

A Little Catch Up.......

Well so much for wanting to post again in the Easter holidays, it just didn't happen, work has been just too horribly busy which means crawling into bed as soon as I get home due to sheer stressed-out tiredness (I work 12 hr shifts - I'm not abandoning the kids at 5pm so I can sleep, just in case you wondered!) Then the days not at work have been spent entertaining increasingly bored (they said it not me) children, I mean how very dare they expect me to entertain them when there is so much sewing to be done?!

Now, the curtains for the kitchen are slowly taking place, Mr. G put the pole up on Sunday, the fabric was cut, washed and dried, curtain tape bought (along with lots of other bits but thats another story for another post - soon I promise!) and tomorrow sewing will take place I'm sure of it! I promise pictures by the weekend of the lovely curtains in all their spring gorgeousness!!

Since my last post I've been doing lots of 'little' sewing projects.....

Here are some lovely cupcakes made from a kit bought from Paper-and-String. I absolutely think Sarah's shop and blog are fab and a great source of felty supplies! I think I'm going to turn these into keyrings and brooches.

I've also continued with my crochet flowers though this is not progressing as quickly as I'd like (I know I'm sooo inpatient and a perfectionist which makes me way too hard on myself!)

I'm going to have a go at some 2 coloured ones over the next few days, I've found I need to really concentrate when I crochet which is not easy with children about!!

I've also been allocated my swap partner for the 'Good Enough To Eat' swap as well as (some may say foolishy) signed myself up for 2 more swaps!! Please see my side column as the closing dates for the Apron Swap and the Fabric Swap aren't until next weekend - go on you know you want to, just click the pictures to be taken to the relevant blog to sign up!!

I've also made a to do list of projects I must complete this week, well by the end of next week really which coincidentally I have off from the day job as it's my birthday! I'm really looking forward to next week, shopping in York with my mum, mmm Cath Kidston and Betty's Tea Rooms - heaven! Alton Towers with Mr. G - what I hear you cry, we're practising for our Florida holiday in the summer of course....

TO DO.... Finally finish my friends extremely late birthday gift, oops, as well as her son's.
Make a little gift bag of goodies for Pop-i-Cok as way of thanks for my blog graphics
Curtains
Roman blinds for kids rooms

Finally for now I took a picture of a couple of my favourite things this morning....


A grand cup of tea, yummy Parma Violets candle, gorgeous purple plant and my favourite photo ever taken of my scrummy kids. Wow they look so young.

Well Hello - Again!

I've done, I've actually finished a task in the timescale I gave myself to do it! Here it is I bring to you my finished, yes that's right finished, 'Suzi' sewing machine cover!!

I love it, love it, love it! I chose Anna Maria Horner's 'Garden Party' social climber in gold and Amy Butler's 'Love' sunspots in wine to make the cover and I got the tutorial from here. It feels good to have completed one of the projects on my very long list!

I also took a photo this evening of the 'Rosali' duvet on 'Little Miss H's' bed which looks like this....

It looks really lovely and she's very pleased with it! I'm now deciding whether to buy another set so I can use the material to make her a matching roman blind...I've already got some Momo Wonderland to make the blind which looks like this

and having just dug out this picture I remembered how much I love this fabric so Momo it is!!

I've acually bought more fabric this week too from Fabric Rehab as it looked 'Good Enough to Eat' but I can't show it to you yet as I'll be using it in the swap I've signed up for!

And finally for today....I hope you like my new blog layout - Happy from Happy Loves Rosie made it all possible, check out her blog its full of kitschy, quirky happiness. Big thanks again Happy xxx

How Time Flies!

Blimey I don't know where the Easter holidays are disappearing to, I can't believe it's been over a week since my last post - I know I'm rubbish!!

Anyway in this whistle-stop post I'll let you know how the last week has been - I've at last made good progress on my sewing machine cover......

I love it and it certainly brightens up my beloved machine 'Suzi'! It's not quite finished yet as it needs a pocket adding and hemming at the bottom. I'm planning on finishing it tonight and will give you the link for the pattern as well as the fabric used when I upload the finished pics later!

I've also bought yet more and more fabric this week, I know I'm obsessed but I do have planned uses for it all! I got this gorgeous hunk of fabric from Ikea and its going to be turned in curtains for my kitchen window and french doors that lead off the kitchen into the back garden. I've seen a couple of good tutorials for curtains so I'll keep you informed of my progress, I'm hoping to get them finished this week, Mmmm.

This is such a rubbish picture of the fabric and doesn't do it justice so will take a better photo later and re-post! Also whilst in Ikea I managed to get 'Little Miss H' a duvet cover in the gorgeous and lovely Rosali print that has been re-launched, I feel soooo lucky as I know it's sold out in a lot of places.

Finally for now I can tell you that I have purchased more patterns from Saints and Pinners in the form of all Anna Maria Horner's dress patterns!! The Evening Maxi dress I'll be using for my wedding dress and the other two are so gorgeous I just had to have them......

Ohh I nearly forgot I got this bundle from the sale goodies over at Seamstar

Sorry it's been rushed but kids running riot so we're going out for lunch!!!!

Happy Birthday To You.....

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Nanny, Happy Birthday to you!

My nan bless her was 90 last week and yesterday we had a family get together for her at my mum's house. Here are some pics.....

Above is my youngest cousin perched near the gorgeous food that my mum got in from a local deli. Below is a picture of me and my Aunt....

and here is the birthday girl herself, my fab Nan!

I don't know if you all have the same problem with presents but choosing gifts for Nan is becoming increasingly difficult! She always tells me not to waste my money and to spend it on 'Little Miss H' and 'Master M' instead and will never let on if she really wants something, I really struggled with what to giver her for her birthday. In the end up I decided to make her some little lavender bags to go in her drawers or wardrobe.......

along with a home made birthday card seen above. She really loved them all and was really touched I made them myself. Note to self make handmade presents for Nan in future!

Once again, Happy Birthday Nan!

Yummy Wool.....

I've always had a love of wooly things and my recent endeavours on the crochet front have gotten me hooked - haha get it!?

The yummy wool that was used in my crochet starter kit that I blogged about here, didn't have any labels on so I emailed the designer Rachel Henderson and she told me what make the wool was, you see I still have to make leaves for the corsages made and needed green wool! This I have now ordered a selection of at a good price from Ebay.

However having also come across this gorgeous gorgeous blog Attic 24 with many thanks to Vivienne for pointing me in its direction! I have also been tempted to buy a fab array of Debbie Bliss DK so I can have a go at some of the tutorials on this great blog! As if I don't have enough crafting ideas to keep me awake at night.

Here are my chosen colours pictured on the lovely Alexander Henry print First Spring - it's so cute and is actually available on a really good offer here from Seamstar. Below are a couple more pictures of yummy wool and some gorgeous buttons that I bought at the same time....

I got the yummy wool and buttons from a local yarn shop called Up Country based in Holmfirth, I didn't really go for or indeed require buttons but you know how tempting they are when placed in a scrummy basket by the till. The buttons are especially grand as they are handmade in Africa by local women helping them to earn money to support their families, well I couldn't say 'No' could I when I read that on the back of the package!!!

I've also invested in some great new patterns this last week from Saints and Pinners, I only went on the website to read the blog and the lovely Jo and Fran tempted me with some great new patterns they had in. Again as if I don't have enough to do! I am however pleased to report that I am nearly finished sewing a fab sewing machine cover for my lovely but currently neglected 'suzi' sewing machine (everything I love has a name!) I will def. do a post on this over the next few days.

The patterns are for a really cute 'cat' handbag for little girls and an equally cute pinny and bloomers for toddlers too, I'd been looking for a good pinny pattern for ages as all my friends seem to be producing baby gilrs at present!

Finally, today when I loggged into blogger I found that I had a new follower and so I quickly went and checked out her blog Em's Shabby Shack. I'd encourage you all to do the same as it really is a very lovely blog and the great news is that Em and fellow blogger Claire are currently organising a swap, closing date 16th April 2010, see my side bar for link! Hooray its my 1st swap, I'm so excited!

Oh I will have some further news on the wedding dress front over the next week or so, I'm in discussions with someone very special about my fabric selection....all will be revealed in good time!