A little bit of Cath...

If like me you like Cath Kidston just for the kitschy chintzy patterns and style, then you might want to get your hands on one of these:

£4 from Primark. It's a good size and is ideal for my mountain of makeup.

Just after I bought this I found a stall in the MetroCentre selling handbags and found this shopper for £10 so I snaffled that up too. I'm not a label snob, and couldn't care that it's not Cath it's Cath esqe which is close enough for me I just love the patterns.

I have been meaning to show you these lovely gifts I recieved recently, this is a handmade key ring from my bestest friend who is a rather talented jewellery maker in her spare time;

She also made me this, not sure what it's called but it's to help me to stop putting my glasses down and losing them on an hourly basis.
I really love this, I wear glasses at work when using horrible spreadsheets all day and I am forever losing them, quite often finding them in my hair! Now I won't; I feel like a librarian in these and will certinaly give off an air of superiority at work; my work glasses are at work but I have modelled them using my sunglasses;



Fab or what, thanks again Nic xx

I also got a knitting mag from our own sexy Annie this week with the most fabulous postcard;


I found this pattern inside that I have to make, I have a cushion habit at the moment and it jumped out at me.

Thanks gorgeous!

I'm almost finished a crochet cushion that I have been on ages with I'll post it soon, but for now here is a snippet:

Happy colours to cheer me up!

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~

Little Gifts and a Big Gift

I have been rather lucky these last few weeks. My charity shopping has picked up and I have had two blog wins!

These are the delights I won this last week they both arrived the same day for double the pleasure, first off is this delightful little pin cushion from the very talented Rachael of Clever Cheshire Cats; in all my favourite colours:

Isn't it divine ~ thank you Rachael x

And then this beautiful bracelet; hand made by the rather clever Hazel from Sewn Up, Stuck Down, the little frames have Cath Kidston paper inside:

I love it ~ thank you Hazel x

Now remember my coffee table buy from the charity shop on Monday; this is it:


Not terribly inspiring and I couldn't take a decent photo as it is HUGE and I couldn't find anywhere to put it. It's rather orange and a bit skanky at the minute but given some time it will be fit for the lounge ~ honest.
I was looking for some wool jumpers yesterday in my lunchtime to make some cushion backs when I found these two little tea sets, I had candles in mind for them but it seems a shame to use them, I really like these two:Well onto the big gift, 6ft to be precise! My darling Son Adam is 16 today. I can't quite believe it, it seems I cradled his tiny 5lb 2oz body in my arms for the first time yesterday; I blinked, and he is now 16! He is the most wonderful teenager I have ever known; everything a parent could wish for, loving, thoughful, kind, handsome, funny and smart.


Happy Birthday Baby.

We bought him this cookie in lieu of a cake...


... and on reading it he said 'I didn't realise you had 15 other Adams' ~ told you he was smart!

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~

Weird and Wonderful Finds

The patron saint of charity shops (Our Blessed Lady Vix) must have been smiling down on me today as I got a nice little haul, it's been a while since I found anything.

First up this little beauty, control underwear! Sexy or what, in that popular shade 'skintone' ~ now it's not going to make hubbys knees quiver but it might stop my tummy wobble which can't be bad. I hasten to add it has never been on and still has all the tags and the modesty crotch strip plastic sheet thingy, and as it was in my exact size I snaffled it up for £1.50. It has a little bell attached between the boobs, not sure what that is for, perhaps to warn bystanders that I might explode out of it at any point?

It's nicer on the inside:


How about these little honeys, Hornsea Salt & Pepper Pots from early 70's, the rubber seal is still there but it has perished ~ £1.


Little trinket tray for my rogue earrings ~ 50p

A bag stuffed full of mostly unused DMC and Anchor Tapestry Wool ~ £1.75


1972 Christening Gown Knitting Pattern ~ check out the mother's knitted frock ~ wonderful; 20p.

A bag of hair! It appears be from a hairdresser that has had a clear out, they had a job lot of it in, I thought it might come in handy, maybe as hair for the Tilda dolls and angels ~ 50p.


A canny little brand new Heidi Seeker tote bag ~ 50p

Oh almost forgot, and a coffee table £15, I don't have a photo of it it's still at the shop waiting for hubbie to pick it up. It will be cleaned sanded and painted before going in the lounge, but I have been on the lookout for a new (read second hand) coffee table for ages now, I hate the one I have and can't wait to get rid.

So there you have it a weird and wonderful haul, be back with some bead and woolen makes later in the week.

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~

Corsages and Birthdays

Not long ago I took part in the spread the bloggy love swap and received this lovely flower brooch corsage from the lovely Jille:


It has been widely admired.

I asked Jille for the pattern and she kindly sent it on and I have had fun knitting these up. They take about an hour each from start to finish (at my amateur knitting speed) and they are really easy to do.


If anyone fancies giving them a go the pattern was from Knit & Stitch book (don't have the full book details so can't give the full credit ~ apologies).

• Cast on 55 st,
• stockinette stitch for 10 rows (knit 1 row, purl 1 row),
• next row, *knit one, bring the yarn forward and over the needle (as if to purl), knit 2 together* repeat to end,
• purl next row,
  
• stockinette stitch for 10 rows (knit 1 row, purl 1 row),
• cast off, leaving a long tail ~ fold work in half and using the tail do running stitch along the bottom, gather up and tie off.

Easy peasy.

I can't let today go by without giving mention that it's my beloved's 40th birthday today.

Happy Birthday Honey!

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~

Fugly Fabric Make... yuk

In the Hobbycraft sale recently I got my hands on this fabric; it was cheap and I just knew my Mother would love it ~ and she did.
In the words of my Granny, 'there's nowt as queer as folk' ~ personally I think it's awful, and perhaps scary at best!!


Imagine spending time working with it, I am a little traumatised! Mother has an intermittent lower back ache and uses a plug in heat pad, and she has lost the cover for it so requested a new one. Well you guessed it, this is it, lined with some fleece and a velcro top it couldn't be easier.


Oh she was delighted with it ~ honestly I think I would cry if someone brought me this.

There's nowt as queer as folk!?!

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~

I seem to have a thing for cushions...

Not sure how that happened, but it's my 'thing' at the minute. I think it's because cusions are relatively easy to make with a small amount of fabric and they can change the look of a room with minimum effort (my favourite amount of effort). Saying that, this one was not exactly quick, I have been dipping in and out of it since December but it's finally finished:

As soon as it was done I raided the button stash and came across these,


I recieved these from the lovely Amanda last year and have been keeping them for the ideal project, well I think this is it ~ thanks Amanda xx

Talking of gifts from lovely ladies I received this on friday from the uber talented Jackie ~ Sew Special Bears, I have had my eyes on one for a while but never got round to buying one, isn't it special and just in time for valentines too.


Besides this was the most precious handcrafted card made by Jackie ~ I adore this!

It it currently sat on my 'messy' shelf (kids words,not mine) with all my favourite bits and bobs on it ~ thanks agan Jackie xx


My hubbie and I don't really 'do' valentines day, I don't like the whole commercial turn it has taken, but we will get loved up and share a movie and a cuddle tomorrow night; so I hope you all have a loving day whether it's with a significant other or just the cat; give some love ~ and (in the words of the Indigo Girls)love will come to you!

~ ♥ With Valentine Love ♥ ~

Candle Making

I have fancied trying candle making and knowing nothing about it at all I bought a little book in the Hobbycraft sale a few weeks ago, and boy am I glad I did. I had no idea that there were different types of wax for the type of candle you are making and the arrary of different wicks in different sizes is mind boggling. Even thought the cover of this book looks really basic, dont' be fooled it is a little treasure. It takes you by the hand and gently guides you through the whole process and now I feel much more confident to try it. It will involve some outlay for equipment and materials so I wanted to get it right. Have a little look at the possibilities: (apologies for the dark pics, not sure what happened there)

Wonderful? I will give this a try soon, in the meantime I'm enjoying looking for little candle containers, second hand of course...
Talking of second hand; look what I picked up for £1 this weekend, this beautiful table cloth.

The work that has gone into this is amazing, it's completely hand stitched all the way round, the tiny green tack stitces and all. It even looks beautiful on the back.
Who would give this away, madness!

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~

CK Union Jack Tapestry

I've been miniature knitting again, this time at the request of the lovely Jackie of Sew Special Bears, these little 'knitting in progress' accessories will accompany some of Jackie's future bears ~ how exciting ~ have you seen Jackies bears they are beautiful!

In addition to these I recently started the Union Jack tapestry from the CK Stitch book that I mentioned a little while back. It was years since I had done any tapestry therefore it took me forever. The hours that went into it seem far too many for the small result and I was more grateful that it was finished than overjoyed with it. I gently washed and blocked it and set too straight away.

I have lots of 'half finished' and 'nearly there' projects about the house and I didn't want all these hours to be thrown in the bottom of a drawer.

Despite feeling shattered I got the machine out on Saturday and turned the little tapestry into a Patriotic Recycled Denim and Cath Kidston Cotton Duck Tie Top Cushion ~ quite the mouthful!
As I am not sure what delights this month may bring (work wise) so I am hedging my bets and submitting my cushion as my Monthly Make too :)

Made with recycled denim, from my friend's boyfriend's Jeans (thanks again Ryan!), and backed with Cath Kidston Spray Flowers Cotton Duck.

My slowly growing pile of homemade cushions;


I had a little sliver of tapestry canvas left so I made a couple of badges to add to my shabby old canvas cross body bag:

I'm a little more inclined to use it now.


~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~