Little bits of this and that

I've been very busy, oh yes - Friday afternoon was a hive of activity, a burst of energy that saw me making piles of art cards for the little gallery that stocks them for me up in Lincolnshire, and some (I hope) for the stall Im hoping to have at the summer Craft Candy fair. All this printing and cutting and putting together whilst the little one napped, but I was on a roll, and when she woke up we embarked on a baking spree...
...Here I am modelling my new apron that I got with some birthday money! Without further delay, we got down to business of weighing and mixing and by teatime the house was full of a deliciously warm aroma of lemon and poppy seed loaf cake. We couldn't wait for it to cool down and tucked in while it was still warm, with a nice mug of tea!

You'd think Id be worn out by the evening wouldn't you, but oh no - I was determined to finish my ripple cushion that I blogged about recently. I was very lucky to find a lilac merino wool jumper to back it with in our local charity shop a few days ago, it was one of those you see delightful grannies wearing, complete with collar and brass effect buttons so I wasn't surprised when the nice lady at the counter eyed me and my purchase with some amusement as I went to pay!

Oh! Almost forgot - I got a lovely package in the post too, with my new wools for my next cushion - aren't they pretty colours? Im calling my next cushion 'Porthmeor' after my favourite English beach and I picked these colours to reflect the shades of the atlantic shallows and the creamy white sand on a typical sunny Cornish day.

I like to give names to some of the things I make, I always have done and I like that it reminds me of a special time or place. This next cushion Im going to make is much smaller than the one Ive just done, almost half a cushion in fact, and Im just trying to decide what stitch to use before I begin! I like that the colours are slightly similar to the one Ive just completed, but more blues this time so I think they will nestle together well on our bed.

Anyway! Without further ado, here is my finished cushion!!

I spent most of last night backing it and completed the crochet button holes this morning whilst the little one amused herself with Boogie Beebies :)

...and this is the back, complete with pretty shell buttons. I can't tell you how proud I am of it, would you believe that this time last year I couldn't crochet a stitch?? Its true! I taught myself last year whilst spending a week with my sister in sun drenched Suffolk. I followed the Happy Hooker book, and luckily my dear friend Niki who lives about half an hour or so away from sis showed me how to do the bits I was stuck on and I haven't looked back since!! Im totally addicted, I melt at the mere sight of a wool store and can spend hours looking at yarn charts and playing with colour combinations. Its the ultimate way to relax and tune out, and there are no expectations wiht it, its just simple, its soothing, its necessary. Its a comfort at the end of a bad day - its pleasure, watching balls of wool turn into pieces of usable stuff like bags, cushions, blankets and toys.

I love it, cant you tell?!

Well, the sun has finally come out! The only reason Im blogging on a saturday is that it got decidedly dark and started to rain, so the gardening plans I had were put on hold - however, looks like some blue sky is heading our way so Im off out to hoe, rake and sow...

See you all soon,

Love J x

Corsage joy

Last night I started and finished this pretty little corsage - its adorned with a lovely blue heart shaped ceramic button and I was rather pleased with it I must say - I was in two minds whether to actually put it on my Etsy or keep it for myself, but as the dear other half pointed out, if I kept everything I made, Id be flooded with stuff...he's right, I have a drawer overflowing with such things so with some reluctance, but sure that one day it would meet with a joyously happy owner, I added it to my little shop.

I also managed to do a bit more crochet work to add to my blanket stash, and realised that the pale blue wool I had chosen to edge my blocks with was running dangerously low. Alas, the only thing for it was a trip to Holmfirth to the excellent Up Country

If ever you have the chance to visit this little aladdins cave of treasures and all things woolly, then do go along for a peep - once inside you disappear up some stairs and you are in wool heaven! There are delightful cupboards oozing wools of all shades and textures, drawers have yarn tucked away in them and there are lots of lovely makes like Rowan and Debbie Bliss - the owner (I presume) has also very thoughtfully left some childrens toys on the floor in a corner, so that mummy can browse in peace whilst the little ones amuse themselves with small cars, a house and a plastic snoopy.

Perfect!

I came away with stocks replenished (isn't it awful when you run out half way through something?) and after a spot of grocery shopping we came home for lunch.

A lovely, pootling sort of day - and tonight a meeting with my Craft Candy friends!

Hope you are all having a scrumptious day

Sending love and cosy blankets - its still very chilly here, is it the same where you are?

Julia xxx

Lovliness

How exciting!! I was given an award today by Suzy's Vintage Attic! Big happy smiles :D

And more smily moments followed when I saw the faces of these gorgeous violas beaming up at me - we have had a few days of people being unwell in our house (including me) ~ all sorts of tummy upset and runny nose things going on so it was uplifting to see these on my little meander around the garden this morning after being cooped up indoors for the last 2 days.

I wandered down by the river at the bottom of our little garden and along the scruffy path that runs along the side of the river and discovered that the daffodils there are now blooming beautifully! Their big yellow heads are a lovely contrast against the dark peaty water and rich green stems! Oh I love spring time! I feel so much better for all this flowery lovliness! You may notice that the picture is a little skewed (that tree doesn't really grow on such a strange angle)...well so was I as I leant precariously off the bank side to try and get the flowers in shot! The lengths I go to for a photograph!! :)

Another thing also happened to cheer me up, and that was the arrival of some new wool which is to be added to the stash for summer garden blanket squares...Im on 22 now, only a hundred or so to go I think, but I do love the quiet methodical nature of crochet, I enjoy how it relaxes and makes everything alright again, its a soothing thing for me.

Its all lovely and quiet here now, the other half is back at work after a day in bed, and little one sleeps peacefully upstairs...I can feel another cuppa coming on, and my fingers are itching to put those new wool shades to work!

See you soon!

Sending you tiny posies and peaceful moments today

J x