Distraction

Firstly..I want to say that I have been unable to comment on other people''s blogs or reply to comments on mine.

This is making me :

a) confused as to why?
b) annoyed - as I like to chat.

Urrgh

Anyway.

I have been rather distracted of late as I have a new Pinterest account and have seemingly managed to forget the world around me exists. I am trying to kick the habit but it wont really work. If you want to see what I keep pinning or want to get an account, click on the 'follow me on pinterest' button (top right) and I will happily send you an invite or stalk your pins, every hour of the day!

Lately I have been wanting a watch. I haven't managed to find one anywhere.

So, in a mad fit of creativity, I crocheted up a bangle and sewed in an old 60s Sekonda watch I had laying around. Excuse the pictures, but what do you think?

It turned out a bit big and so it kinda makes my arm a touch hammy but all-in-all, I like it.

I've got a few more old watches dotted about the place. I think I will make a few more and try to sell them..what are your thoughts? Worth a try?

Me.xx

Crochet Window Warmer

The past few days I have been at home taking extra special care of dear Baby F. He had a tick bite which has become infected and he is really quite poorly :(
Due to how poorly he feels he is spending eight or more hours a day asleep or being sick. This has meant I haven't wanted to leave his side.

To pass this worrying time I have had him tucked up in his buggy next to me on the sofa and I have been quietly crocheting away next to him, working on a little project I have had in mind for ages.

In our front window we have a fairly wide ledge. We always end up sitting next to the window and putting our cups of tea on the ledge and it gets all grotty and tea-stained. Not nice. Also, all the candles we have up there burning have left marks. This has been bugging me for about six months, I am forever cleaning the ledge and it is never quite clean!

After thinking again, how much I can't stand it, I finally gave in. So the day before yesterday I decided I would measure the area in question and come up with a 'crochet window warmer' A kind of giant coaster to make the ledge more colourful and keep it clean. I chose some blues and greens to bring the outside in.

I got the measurements and began making my granny chain.

Then took it over to the window for a quick check - just to make sure it fit.

It did.

A bit wibbly, but ok so far.

And a few more rows..

Until eventually it was finished!

I took it over to the window and laid it all out, decided it could look a little happier really but that could also be because it is a horrible dull day.

I'm quite pleased with my funny little creation.

It's helped to cheer up a very boring old window.

YAY!

Rings

Oh dear..

Today I have LOST my mind searching for a wedding ring that is gorgeous and unusual enough for my eccentric taste. Somehow it was half-past nine and now it is nearly time to leave for school?! How did that happen?

So I have the most beautiful engagement ring ever (let me see if I can find any pics of it) It looks better in person, it is sparkly and cut beautifully. It has also been extensively cleaned and repaired since these pics. I love it.

It is 1950s and has sadly been through the wars (before I got it) Since getting it we have had to spend hundreds on getting it repaired to a standard that is suitable for wear. As a result I have been afraid to wear it in case it breaks. Therefore, I am going to have to retire it and only wear it for special occasions in future.

With my wedding ring I know I want something eye-catching. It has to be blingy-ish. Natural stone, affordable and hard-wearing.

I had been trying for MONTHS to order a simple stacking white gold band set from a truly useless Etsy seller who (shall remain nameless) she just DID NOT want to sell me her stock, her emails were short and her information limited and patronsing at best. How upsetting when you have your heart set on something but the seller just doesn't seem to want to help. Shame.

So, after four months of me emailing for prices and then having to chase her up again and again, I decided that she can keep her rings. It obviously wasn't meant to be and simple was going out of the window in favour of a little bit of natural gemstone BLING.

Why shouldn't a girl have bling? I am not the blingy type but I think, when it comes to making a statement about being joined with the one you love, I want to say it loud and proud. Bling me up.

So my choices are (and some are really not me..but OH, so sparkly and pretty)

       This one - Made by Etsy jeweller Priyanka Sodhi (click the words 'this one' for details)

And

This one - also made by the same seller as above

They are both rough -cut diamonds, which I think are pretty and understated.

Then I lost my mind a bit and thought that perhaps I ought to go for absolute sparkley twinkle bling..why not?

So I then thought these (green is my favourite colour -hence the choices) might be a nice alternative to a traditional diamond stone?

Both from the seller - JaneysJewels

Choice 1

Choice 2

Then I got a bit over-excited about green sparkly rings so I went to Pinterest to see if anyone else was this way inclined or if I were actually losing my mind. Turns out others are indeed the same way and then I found this...

Uh-oh..a stone that LOOKS like an expensive diamond but ISN'T an expensive diamond..clever

..and diamonds ARE a girl's best friend, right??? hmmm, I had better have a better look around the shop where it came from

Onegarnetgirl

Then it was all over for me.

That was it..

Shang

Ping

PNDAWWWzzzzz

BLAAANNNGggggg

You know the pink stone, Morganite, GLOWS IN THE DARK! now, I don't want to be a total six year-old boy about it but, WOW!

So which do I choose? I can tell you my actual wedding ring budget is about £150..eep! BUUUUT, I have been told I can have something a little nicer if I want? I just know it will cause us some debt if I do..Do I really NEED a posh and spensives ring??arrgh?! help meeee!

xx

Today.

Today is good because L, my dad and Baby F's older brother have gone to watch some football, so Baby F and I have a whole day of freedom.. and this is what I we did!

I finally finished my red bobble scarf that I had been working on slowly. It is based on this pretty white baby blanket I photographed on Boxing Day (see pic above)

And I like it -  please ignore my very un-made face. PALE!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The light looked pretty in my lounge

So Baby F and I decided to go outside for a walk.

It was lovely and spring-like outside. The sun was low but it shone nicely through the trees for us. I was surprised to see lots of bulbs coming up from the ground and many buds ready to spring forth from the branches of trees.

Baby F and I went a-walking to Waitrose (our only local shop) and we decided it would only be right, seeing as we had been left alone, to spoil ourselves with plant pots full of fresh herbs (Basil and Thyme) which smell delicious.

We may also have bought a new Cath Kidston mug to fill with hot black tea and drink from the minute we got in (after we had impatiently waited for the kettle to boil)

AND

We definitely bought some pretty spring flowers to put in our window to look at each day - we like flowers in the house :)

(When I say WE spoiled ourselves, I probably mean I spoilt myself..shhh)

I also spent lots of time admiring Baby F's sweet curly hair that shoots wildly about the place from behind his tiny ears.. Can you believe this tiny blondie has got the darkest chocolate-brown eyes you could possibly imagine? He is such a magical boy, I love him so much!

Well I guess I ought to go and get on with making a roastie dinner for those hungry football-mad boys. Happy weekend to you all. xx

Crochet (Alice) Bunting Ta-Daahhh!

And it is finished!

Inspired by Alice who writes the wonderful blog - Crochet with Raymond, I slowly worked my way through some lovely Alice-inspired bunting..I didn't follow her pattern exactly as I am clearly not able to read patterns as well as I thought, but it all worked out somehow in the end.

Last night, after I put a poorly Baby F to bed (an evil tick bit his head a few days ago. It sucked his blood and gave him an infection - I hate ticks. Country-folk beware, they are flippin' everywhere!) and then kissed goodnight to his big brother, I snuck back down and opened my new copy of Country Living

I turned just a few pages and then had the overwhelming urge to hook up some more bunting..so off I went..yey!

And soon it was time to add the white 'ribbon' to hang it off. I chained and chained

It was looking a little chunky there for a while. But, after a little while it was done. And apart from me being too wimpy to stay on the top step-ladder long enough to hang it right, or having a decent camera to photograph it with, it was done. I had made crochet bunting and, I am proud to say, it makes the whole dull ugly wall area, much, MUCH nicer - hooraaayyy!

And here it is. I think once this room is finally done, I might do a before and after of the whole room. I think it would make for interesting reading or a terrifying horror story?

I must say THANK-YOU to Alice of Crochet With Raymond as she inspired me, and in turn, she is the reason my formerly hideous corner of room, now looks much happier! Thanks Alice.xx

Crochet bunting for ugly bare walls.

Hello there,

Happy horrid day. I have been a bit down in the dumps in all this rubbish weather the past three days. The UK has been utterly battered by storms and it has left us all a bit glum. On the walk to school today (recycling bin day) All the tins and card were blown all over the streets and gardens. The local dentist sign had been blown all the way over two roads into the park and bins were upturned everywhere we went along the journey. It looks vile.

During this awul weather I have managed to get out and plant some hollyhocks

                                                                Image taken from - http://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/pretty_perennials/hollyhock/

which should grow and cheer up the front garden by summer..I also planted out the Christmas tree and cleaned the whole house. But I still couldn't shift the grizzly blues, then I came accross this lovely idea on the beautiful blog that is Crochet With Raymond

Crochet Bunting!

What a lovely idea.. see how wonderful Alice ( blog owner of Crochet With Raymond) has made her bunting.

(I don't want to put Alice's pictures here without her permission so please follow the links to her website to see allllll of her wonderous patterns, blogs and pictures)

I wasn't sure I could follow the pattern very well but I have given it a go anyway. So Small-Fry and I sat down on the sofa and we began to talk colours (well, he licked his paws and I thought about colours)

Now my lounge is teal and white so anything in the blues/greens looks pretty bold next to the (what will be) white walls on the side of the chimney breast.
After a while of digging through my scraps of yarn left over from other projects I found this little bundle

In my lounge I have this horrid bare spot where we have been treating the wall for damp. The previous owners planted a tree right next to the house (fail) which smashed our edwardian drains to bits before dying and causing all the water from the down-pipe that runs from our roof and our neighbours to run into the ground next to our house. I think it must have been that way for about twenty or more years judging by the size of the root ball L dug out!!

Due to the drain pipe/drain debacle the damp inside our house on that wall was just unbearable, two inch thick bluey/grey/black mould that I would have to scrub off with sugar soap every couple of weeks and put the dehumidifier next to daily, just awful.
Last weekend my brother had the genius idea that instead of paying thousands we don't have to have the drains dug out and repaired, we put a water butt under the down-pipe and use the rain water for the garden!! YES! So L got the spare water butt that was out in the back garden and put it under the down-pipe and ran an overflow pipe out into the flower bed. Now we have a dry area where the wet area used to be but the wall inside is going to need to breathe and dry out until summer really..so in the meantime we are left with this

(excuse the CBeebies on tv, baby F is mad for it!) awful looking wall - the half white bit is the part we have treated for damp already, and thankfully that has dried out and no more mould BUT the green is still to be treated. We had to strip the wall right back to let it breathe and it is just so ugly, it has 1980s graffitti all over it which is far from pretty, believe me (who does that?! bleurgh) 
We can't WAIT to paint over it. And I hate the high plug sockets..grumble grumble ...it's on the list. The VERY long list of things to change/fix/remove/repair.

Annnnnywayyy, back to what I wanted to talk about...So, I hooked and hooked, round and round..I spoke to L and asked him if he is ready to go mad yet, what with me slowly covering the entire house with my crochet creations?!. He told me he loved it and so I carried on - I think I would've carried on anyway really - sorry L! And when he got home I presented him with what I had made so far

And he liked it very much and helped me measure out the amount I would need - ten.

So today I am left with six more to do before the end of the day..mm. Think it is time to put the kettle on and get one in before lunch.

Also, can anyone tell me how long you have to wait to get on to Pinterest?? I have been waiting so long and am eager to explore its wonderful worlds..sigh

Bye for now.xx

The 12 dates of 2012

And so, as mentioned previously. L and I finally got around to making our plan for our 12 dates of 2012..and here they are:

1 - January - Visit Pitt Rivers Museum and mooch around Oxford.
I have been to Pitt Rivers twice before and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the weird and wonderful. It has been modernised since I was there last and I feel it's time to see the shrunken heads in their new home!

Image borrowed from the lovely - http://intothehermitage.blogspot.com/2011/04/wayfarers-cabinet-of-curiosities.html

2 - February - National Trust Avebury.
After seeing the BBC programme 'The Manor Reborn' I fell in love with the building it featured. A beautiful old house slowly came to life in front of my eyes and the way in which it was done was just so magical I couldn't resist, I was sucked in..and of course, I wanted to go. So instead of doing my usual, saying I would go then not go, I have decided that actually, I WILL go. And I will report back, later in the year. I am sure the 1930s room will be amazing and probably lighter of a few chairs once I have been - just kidding! (sort of)

                                                              Image taken from - http://aveburymatters.blogspot.com/2011/08/to-manor-reborn.html


3 - March -  Watch some traditional cricket on a nice day in an old-fashioned way.
L and I don't exactly love cricket but there is something nice about just sitting down in an old park and watching the calm cricket, hearing the ripples of polite clapping around you and of course the wicker picnic hamper with yummo sandwiches and drinks inside. Also it gives me an excuse to go out and buy said hamper and bits to go with. Yes! This should be great for a nice day of lolling about  in the sunshine, or laying in the shade on a cosy tartan blanket under a tree.

                                                                                     Image taken from - http://www.candovers-cc.co.uk

4 -April - Visit L's Papa's memorial plaque at RHS Wisley.
My other half, L..was very much admiring of his Papa (that's his grandad to you and me) and his Papa was very much admiring of gardens and gardening. And I am very much admiring of L, the memory of his Papa and gardens and gardening - although I am rubbish at it. When L's papa sadly passed away, a plaque was put up in the gardens of RHS Wisley for remembrance. L and I have been together for four years and he has been to visit the plaque many times but I have never been. This is the year I will go and visit both Papa's plaque and the garden itself. And I hope that some of Papa's love of gardens and gardening passes on to us once we have visited.

Image taken from - http://www.gardens-to-go.org.uk/Wisley_Entrance.htm

5 - May - Stay in a famous haunted location to see if it's true or false for ourselves.
L and I are on different sides of the fence when it comes to the world of ghosts. As a little girl I had a few weird experiences, saw a few things and always had a knack for knowing things before they happen etc, as an adult. As a result I have always been afraid of the spirit world (if there is such a thing) but sort-of fascinated and wanted to know all there is about it.
L is the opposite. He grew up in an environment where if you believe in ghosts you were nuts and OF COURSE there aren't ghosts. So he grew up scared of the dark and horror movies and ghosts were a figment of your imagination. So a few years ago we went to Edinburgh and I took L on a Mercat Tour down to the underground city of Edinburgh (which was amazing)..if you haven't been or you know nothing about it then please check out this link above. Also this one: Mary King's Close  And, if you can, go!! so worth it..anyway, I digress, when we were there I was ok, bit shaky but L kept hearing things and acting shifty, turning around a lot etc, and when the group reached the end of the tour we were all talking when suddenly we heard footsteps on gravel (floor was solid in that area) and then it began walking towards us (the sound)we all heard it, L heard it first and L belived! - just for a second. By the time we got home L had found a hundred reasons for it to be something else and so there and then I decided that one day we would go and find somewhere famously haunted and spend the night.. just to see what would happen..any recommendations?

Image taken from - http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186525-d213565-r85289029-Mercat_Tours-Edinburgh_Scotland.html

6 - June - Go camping in the new forest.
I am not the greatest fan of camping but I feel like it could be something lovely to do together and perhaps just the kind of summery break we could do with. L's birthday is in June so I am thinking I might make a thing out of it and invite some other folk.

Image taken from - http://www.urban75.org/photos/new-forest/index.html

7 - July - Watch some open air Shakespeare.
L and I love a bit of Shakespeare..yum. Where we used to live there is often open-air Shakespeare. Tickets often sell out fast but this year I am going to get us in! Y'see.

Image taken from - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

8 - August - Go and find a basking shark.
As L and I were originally going to get married in August we booked our honeymoon then. Now our date has moved we have to wait AGES before we sail off to the Isles of Scilly, where we are hopefully going to find a basking shark called Dave or Bert or Cynthia..I will not be happy until we do :P

                                                                    Image taken from - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-11244554

9 - September - Take a trip to Portsmouth to see HMS Victory.
History! I love it. L hasn't been here yet and he is keen to, hence his suggestion to go! I have been but when I was about ten. Portsmouth may not be the most glam place but it does have such lovely things to see and do. I am really looking forward to this one.

Image taken from - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4449933/HMS-Victory-why-the-sinking-feeling.html

10 - October - Visit the Victoria and Albert Museum
Oh Vicky and Al, so in love, so ahead of their time. A wonderful collection of goods that I have yet to see. Not sure why I have never been but it's now on the list. I do hate visiting London. London itself is a fascinating place but I find it big and scary and, myself small and afraid when there. Not very brave but I don't much care for rushing about in a hurry amidst giant buildings and angry folk..no thanks ratrace.

Image taken from - http://london-sightseeing.net/museums/victoria-and-albert-museum-london/

11 - November - Go and watch some dancing.
Ahh, this is one I had to just give in to. Dancing really isn't me but L has fallen head over (dancing) heels for it over the last few years. I guess its a case of it being more in the public eye on shows like Strictly, that cause manly menfolk like L to soften and daydream about having a slinky wiggly lady to spin about the dancefloor. Sorry L, you're stuck with this old clot (but I'll humour him) Actually I think it will make a really nice night out together. So, I have given in to his suggestion and we shall go and see some dancing and have a lovely time, even if we aren't slinky and wiggly.

Image taken from - vincentandflavia.com

12 - December - Watch Admiral Fallow live - wherever they may be!
A band we both fell in love with the year before last but have never seen. We love to go and see bands together and although this is filed under December, we will go whenever they tour next. Even if we have to go to Scotland to do it! I love Scotland so this is ok!

Image taken from - admiralfallow.com

And that's your lot! Phew, I feel tired just writing about it. good job we've a month to prepare for each one! x