Getting my creative mojo back....

Hi everyone, I'm not going to go on too much about my Christmas on here except to say it has been lovely, and although we have tried not to dwell on this time last year, it has been impossible not to. Last Christmas day me and my mum and dad had a hurried dinner before driving to Trafford General where my lovely Geordie was lying in intensive care on a respirator. He didn't know it was Christmas and we weren't sure what was going to happen. We have really looked forward to this Christmas and it was lovely to see him eating, laughing, walking a bit and just being here with us.
Anyway, as he has needed less help with things, I have had a bit of time to myself and have been feeling a bit creative and I have found it quite relaxing.
I found two old stools in the spare room that we had used as bedside tables. They were sturdy but quite scruffy and full of cup ring marks. I didn't fancy painting them so I thought I'd have a go at covering them with some kind of decoupage. I bought two packs of serviettes, one from Tesco for £1.00 and one from Cath Kidston for £3.50 (a bit dear in my opinion and not any better than the Tesco ones!) The only other thing I bought was PVA glue for £1.00.

 

All I did was tear the serviettes into strips and small pieces, brush PVA glue on the stools and stick the pieces on, then brush them into a kind of scrunchy texture. I let it dry then put about 4 or 5 coats of PVA glue on as a kind of varnish. 

 

 

 

 

This is the Tesco one which is now a small table with my Chorlton pottery vase on. (not a great picture but you get the idea!)

The Cath Kidston one is here.....

 

 

 

This one is now next to the fire with a big red candle on. I was really chuffed with these as it was something I could just do for 5 minutes when I got a bit of time and I think these stools would have been lying around forever waiting to be sanded down and painted.

 

I've also been doing a bit of crochet too. I made this scarf for myself out of my scraps....

 

 

....and my friend Ms M asked me to make a hat for her sister-in-laws birthday.

Now I don't often make things for people except maybe a present for family as I'm a bit self-conscious about my work and think it's not good enough or it will fall apart or unravel. Anyway I agreed and made this from some lovely Debbie Bliss cashmere and merino wool.....

It's actually the first hat I've ever made and I just went off what I would like myself. She was really happy with it and actually sent me a photo of said sister-in-law wearing my hat in Copenhagen where her husband had taken her for her birthday!! It was very simple to make. I did a Lucy circle but for 6 rounds then just straight rows-couldn't be easier. The flower was another Attic 24 design from here

I've been up to a few other crafty things but I'll tell you about them next time.

 

Hope you have all had a lovely Christmas.

XXXXX

 

 

 

Brooches, bargains and bills!

I absolutely adore Lea Stein brooches. If you google her work, you will probably recognise them. The most famous ones are the foxes and cats and they look very Art Deco in style. There are a lot on ebay and in antique shops but at around £50, they are way out of my budget at the moment. They are made from plastic, and are very colourful, she developed the technique with her husband which allowed her to insert fabrics, colours and patterns onto the plastic. 

I saw this necklace in Primark last week...

 and something about it just reminded me of the Lea Stein style. Out came the epoxy resin and a brooch pin......



Ta-da!!!! A DIY Lea Stein inspired brooch for £3.00!!!

 

I also bought these beauties this week...

Brand new Cath Kidston red polka dot sandals for only £8 on ebay (were £28 new!) I was over the moon with these as I have a quite serious polka dot obsession. God knows if I'll get to wear them with all the rain we're having. I decided to make a little shoe bag to keep them in out of a Cath Kidston bag which was a free gift on Living magazine ages ago. 

First I cut the handles off, then made some loops out of red polka dot ribbon and sewed them round the top. I stitched the handles together to make a long drawstring, threaded it through the loops, and there you go-a Cath Kidston drawstring shoe bag!

 

We got a couple of Charity Shop bargains last week. Geordie got this gorgeous silver and glass dish, it's so lovely. We think it's a butter dish but I'd quite like to keep mints in it or sweets...

I also got this fabulous Goebel duck creamer! I love ducks almost as much as owls so I was over the moon with this.

Both of these came to less than a fiver.

Another bargain I got last week was these really cute butterfly pyjama shorts in a gorgeous mint green. These were two quid in Tesco!! Total bargain!

I've started a new blanket this week, for the bedroom this time (no use making anymore picnic blankets is it?) I've wanted a ripple blanket for ages and had a couple of goes at the pattern, but now with the aid of the ever fabulous Attic 24 ripple step-by-step guide, I have finally cracked it! This one is going to be big.....

I've been working on this having cosy days in with my poorly Geordie and the cats. The rain has been beating against the windows and Oliver decided he'd better see how warm and comfortable my crocheted cushions are....

And this was Sammy after his emergency trip to the vets last week. He started foaming at the mouth and shaking his head and we totally panicked and took him straight up to the vets. They kept him in for observation and then rang us to say they think he swallowed an insect which he didn't like the taste of! The vet said "Oh they are dramatic creatures...." as she thrust the credit card machine in my face.

 Hope everyone has had a creative, bargain-filled weekend! xx

Catching Up.

I haven't posted on here for a couple of weeks due to my poor Geordie being quite ill. He had to go into hospital for some unpleasant tests and although some things have been ruled out, it still hasn't been resolved. I've felt so stressed and worried that I haven't really done much to post about. What I have done is crocheted like a mad 'hooky' person and I've found it quite relaxing and distracting. I was very excited to finsh my Vintage Stripe Blanket.....

Oliver is carrying out a rigorous quality control check on it, making sure there are no missed stitches or loose ends.

 

It's like a big stick of rock!!

Here it is with my Little Squares Cushion.

I have also made another cushion, this one is just 2 big Granny Squares and literally took a couple of days to make and I used up all the bits I had left from the blanket.

I love the bright colours and they really cheer the room up. I bought the actual cushions for £1.49 each from B&M Bargains and then because you could see the white cheap material they are made out of through the gaps in the crochet, I cut up 2 T-shirts, one in pale blue and one in pink to make a cover for the cushions first before I put them in the crochet covers.

I've also been trying out some hexagons as well.....

I don't know what to do with them yet, they are all seperate so I might just use them as coasters on my coffee table or I might sew them together into a scarf or something.

Remember my post about Avoca socks? These are gorgeous knee high socks with lovely little trimmings but they are quite expensive and I had a real yearning for them. Well in the end I bought some socks in the sale from Tesco for £2 and raided my trimmings box. It has actually been cold enough to wear these recently under my knee boots (I know, I can't believe it's Summer!!!)

They are so cute and practical too. I've still got an oatmeal pair to do and Tesco still has some chocolate brown socks left which I might buy because I've got some cute little red roses and ribbons which would look sweet sewn on them. 

I haven't had much time for charity shop bargain hunting, so no vintage finds but I did find this gorgeous Boden cardigan for £3.99. I was ecstatic to find this because Boden (like Monsoon) is right up my street for quirky, colourful, embroidered vintage-style clothes, but it's just too expensive for me! This cardigan was probably around £60 new (at least) and it looks like it's never been worn-BARGAIN!!!

I also had a little trip to the Cath Kidston shop to browse in the sale. It was for therepeutic health reasons only you understand and it was practically on my way home and it would have been rude not too. Anyway I got a little present for the lovely Ms E, who sits beside me at work, and has very very kindly given me her Blackberry as she has got a new phone. She is so lovely and she knows I have wanted a Blackberry for ages and I was really touched when she said I could have hers. Anyway I got her this......

and I'm going to crochet her an Attic 24 Bauble, with some essential oils on the stuffing to hang in her car as she has always liked mine.

I haven't been doing much else these last 2 weeks apart from having a free listen to the Stone Roses gigs as I only live about 10 minutes from Heaton Park. I had the back door open so I could hear the music without the trauma of standing in the rain and mud. Our whole area was totally swamped with Roses fans and it was quite exciting really seeing people who had travelled from all over the world queuing for beer in our Sainsburys!! I saw one enterprising neighbour cooking burgers in his front garden on a barbecue and selling them to the fans! I'm sure he had all the necessary permits and risk assessments done beforehand-lol.

I'm off work now for 2 weeks and will be having a few trips out sight seeing and bargain hunting. Happy July everyone. xxx

My Car Blanket is finished!

I have had a frantic week trying to get my blanket finished. When it actually came down to it, I felt a bit sad to be coming to the end because it's my first blanket and I started it in the winter on those dark evenings and imagined finishing it in time for summer picnics....well hello summer, I've finished!!!

So without further ado.......here it is.

It does look quite a lot brighter in real life and I am so happy with how it turned out! I do like all the random-ness of the different sized squares. I'd probably do things a bit differently colour-wise if I was starting it now but for my first big project, all in all, I'm pleased. Also as it's 100% acrylic, I was a bit worried how it would feel and drape but when it came out of the washer having been drowned in 'Comfort' fabric softener, it feels so soft and beautiful, I was really impressed. 

I realised today as well that as this blanket is intended for Tulip my car, it's quite apt that it is 2 years ago this week that I passed my driving test and got the lovely Tulip!

Here's Oliver giving his expert opinion on the unfinished version before I added the border. It was honestly on the floor for less than 30 seconds while I picked the camera up, and there he was trying it out!!

While I was having a 'big project' trauma, I decided to make myself something quick and satisfying that would only take an hour or two. Having looked at all the stuff in my handbag, I decided my car stereo needed a 'cosy'. Out came the scraps of wool and a couple of hours later........

I haven't had much time for shopping this week but I did have a quick charity shop browse today and got this lovely bright vase for £1.50.

Also these knee socks for £2 which I'm going to makeover (as planned in my previous post)

  

And lastly, my present from Geordie this week (as he did have a good week selling on ebay) was this lovely cool bag from Cath Kidston. I have wanted this for ages but they don't stock them anymore as they have a new one out now. I saw this on ebay and mentioned a few hundred times how much I love it. Anyway when my back was turned, a bid was put on and this morning it arrived in the post......

Oooh I can't wait to go back to work on Monday and take my dinner in this!

Hope everyone else has had a lovely week.

XX

Antiques, Shopping and Making Stuff.

Had a lovely weekend but I've been so busy at work I haven't had a chance to upload my pictures.

On Friday I started making the easter 'birdies' for my nephew and niece. I think I might have to combine them with chocolate or 'hard cash' as at the age of 9 and 8, they are a bit too old to be satisfied with home-made pressies now. This is as far as I got though......

Oh well I'll devote some time to them this week.

Anyway on Saturday we went to York again for the day and it was a beautiful day although a bit chilly. We sat outside a lovely old church and had our sandwiches and coffee.

Geordie found this gorgeous silver plated ice bucket with tongs shaped like chickens feet. This is perfect for our 1950's drinks trolley which we've been collecting stuff for over the last couple of years. To be honest we've got way too much stuff now, but this definitely has to go on it-only a fiver as well. It's dated 1953.

Geordie also treated me to this......

What can I say? He does spoil me.....

On Sunday we went to the Reebok Antiques fair in Bolton. I actually missed the junction on the motorway and ended up miles away but it was worth it in the end. I got a lovely 1970's Midwinter sugar bowl (I think)-it's got a lid so I'm not 100% sure if that's what it is-and only £2. Just need all the matching cups, saucers and plates now-lol.

I got a really sweet black cat brooch for £3, some vintage buttons for £2, a Ladybird book about radios for my geeky Geordie (who makes most of his money these days buying and selling vintage short wave and CB radio's), and the last thing we got was a metal school 'Librarian' badge which Geordie found and surprised me with. He remembered me telling him that I was the librarian when I was 9 at Primary school and had one of these badges which I was very proud of. One day I lost it and my teacher told me off and refused to replace it. I remember being heartbroken and crying about it. Geordie has been trying to get me one for ages but could only ever find 'Prefect' ones so I was absolutely over the moon when he gave me this-it meant as much to me as a diamond ring.

As work has been really busy and stressful this week, I have been crocheting every night to relax and get my fix of being creative. I started a cushion cover made in little squares that you join as you go (which I'm loving-never done before). Im doing this, and this is as far as I've got....

I also made this bauble to hang in my car as an air freshener. I added some essential oil to the stuffing and a cat's whisker I found from one of the cats. I read somewhere that a cat's whisker is supposed to keep you safe on car journeys and after my 20 mile motorway detour on Sunday I could do with as much help as possible!!!

One more day to go at work tomorrow then a lovely long weekend to look forward to-painting, gardening, days out, if it's sunny, hot chocolate, blanket making and sky+ if it's not......can't wait. xx