Handmade and Personalised Christmas Advent Calender!

Christmas is on it's way!!!!

Apologies if you would rather not discuss it just yet, but it really is, as of today, officially only 80 sleeps until Christmas!!!!!

I wanted to post this out for you all to see and gather some of your thoughts also, I made one of these last year for myself, and so many people commented on it that I thought that I would make some to sell this year, you will be able to read a little more about them here, they do take me a while to make, each fabric square is hand cut and then individually sewn on to a linen fabric backing, but my thought process behind it is that you can put just anything you want into each little pocket and this way steer away from chocolates and sweets should you prefer, my friend is going to be putting hairclips and bits and bobs in hers for her little girl, fab idea I thought! And the pockets are actually big enough to put a couple of bits in, so if you hade more than ond child they could share!

Our Caravan is coming along nicely too now, hmmnn now that winter is on its way lol!!!On Thursday I managed to get all 4 sets of curtains made, I have made them using the Cath Kidston Rosali Floral and Gingham fabric, so hopefully they will be put up this week-end, the trouble is because we stripped the caravan completley out when we first had her, we are having to replace everything, so I need to go and get some curtain rods this week-end to hang then with, pictures to follow!

So, just a snippet of where we are so far with her, the shelf that sits above the worktop, obviously more prettiness will be added to the shelves, but I have not put too many accessories inside her for a minute with her needing to be moved about still for exterior work still being carried out,

And the flooring in retro Black and White squares, and the wall cupboard papered in this beautiful floral paper on both sides! Yummy I think!

When we have done the next few bits I will post with some more pics for you to see, I am so excited, I cant wait to show her to you in all her glory!!

I have today been trying to get my head around setting up a Facebook shop, what a malarky that is! But it seems that it is the way to go now, if you cant beat 'um, join 'um, as they say! Well, I have been trying lets say, will let you know if I ever suceed and get it done!

I hope that you have all been enjoying your week-end so far, we have had lovely weather here today, but is has been on the fresh side if you are out of the sunshine, I dont mind the cold though as long as the rain stays away!

Catch up with you all again very soon!

andrea

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Crochet, Fab Recipes and a Rant!!

Yeah!! The snow has just about all gone, thank goodness! It is nice to see it seeing as we dont have any that often, but when it started to get in my way and I couldn't get out it started to cheese me off a little!

After seeing Sarah' Fab Crochet Squares from Pink-Petal-Designs I decided that I was going to give these little Beauties a go, my other square is still on the increase...slowly!!! But these just so inspired me to take my hook out of one project and get it going on another....



They are by no means as good as Sarah', she got her wool from the USA and it is thicker than our Double Wool, but I am quite pleased with how they are coming along, I try and do at least one each evening...only one? I hear you mutter, but if I try and do it any faster my tension just goes straight out through the window and they look nothing like a square!!! I think that I will keep to the Pretty Pastel Colours, I may do sone plain white ones to mix in with the colours, I can just see it laid on my Sun Lounger in the Long Hot Summer Days that are coming our way this year!! No, I haven't heard that it is going to be a fab summer, I just made that bit up!!



With all of these great ideas that I keep spotting on my travels around Blogland my Wool stash is getting bigger each week, Thanks goodness for the Tesco CK Bags!!

Hubby and I popped into Exeter on Saturday, and look what little Beauty I bought....



It has some fab recipes in it, when I have more time I will post a few on here,



OK, now for the rant......
Do you take your shoes off in your home? Well we do, and so do most people who come to our home, when we go to other peoples homes we too take off our shoes, but you always get the odd one or two dont you who quite bluntly refuse to take off their shoes, even when they can see that we have left our shoes at the door and are walking around bare footed, what is their problem? Are they really that arrogant? Well, in our new house we are having brand spanking new carpets laid through out the whole house, so, shoes in the house are going to be a definate NO NO!! But why is it we feel embarassed IN OUR OWN HOME and feel that we cant ask people to take off their shoes when they come in? Especially when you can see that they are going to make NO attempt to take them off!!!

Well I am having ths sign made for our new house....



And if they do not read it and take notice I am just going to have to take a deep breath and say.......PLEASE READ THIS SIGN!!!

By the way, these fab signs can be bought at Shabby Chic Retro Signs and Plaques

Rant over....I have been bottling that one up for a few weeks!!

Catch up in a day or two!!
Andrea
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Crochet at long last and My Painted Cupboard.......

Well it isn't very big, yet, and not very colourful, yet, but here is my Crochet square, I wont tell you how many times I have un-ravelled this and started again, and again, and again, and so many times I have shouted...I can't do it!!!! But I have tried and tried again and again, determined not to be defeated, and this is what I have ended up with so far...I am planning on continuing and adding new colours so will keep bringing you updates on it....if you like it or not!!!!

I found the pattern, what pattern I hear you say! Well, I soooo could not get to grips with it so when I Googled Granny Squares, it bought up a U-Tube Tutorial of the way to crochet this, it is probably sooo easy for most of you out there and I think that I can hear you say, OMG that would have been soooo easy to do!

I need to get the tension better...both with myself and the crochet!! I think that it could be looser stitches and then end up bigger if I was not quite so taught with the wool, but I guess that comes with practise, but I do love it, and it grows sooo quickly...if you know what I mean!!!



And finally here is my Painted Cupboard.....



I think that I am quite pleased with it, it took me such a long time that the novelty kind of wears off doesn't it! Anyhow, there it is, I am going to re-cover a lamp shade to go on a base that I bought from the Car Boot Sale last week for 25p!! Bargain!! So, will show you that in the week once I have mastered it!!
Watch this space....

I have put Black and White Photos of my Mum and Dad in the frames on the top, but as you can see I still need to find a third photo, I could do really with going to my Dad or Aunties House to scrounge around and have a look and see what I can find of any old piccies they may have!

We have just got back after having had a Pub Lunch and a couple of glasses of wine, we have lit the fire and so I think that that is it for today, it is blowing a gale here this afternoon, so we are all battoned down and in for the night curled up on the sofa....aaaahhhh!!

Enjoy the rest of your week-end,

Andrea
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Noboddy Told Me!!!!!

That this photo of my New toy that I was ranting about in the previous post was missing did they??!! Tut Tut!! Well you are gonna see it now..........



Cute Eh?!!

This is this week's new purchase....



I LOVE it, well just as well really seeing as I have just bought it!! Nice isn't it!

It's a lovely day here today, really sunny and warm, but the ground is really wet so you cant do much outside, I have enough anyhow to be getting on with indoors, remember I showed you The Cupboard that I bought a few weeks ago at the Car Boot sale, well I have finally got around to painting it and so hopefully if I pull my finger out I can post a piccie of the finished result in the next day or two, I am painting it in a Beautiful 'China Blue' coloured paint, I don't normally go for Blues but I think that it is a nice clean fresh looking colour, and it wont be long before we are taking back down our heavy winter curtains, putting back up our fresh bright voiles and opening out our windows and letting the fresh clean bright air back into our homes will it!!! Can't wait!!

I have my son and his girlfriend, and my mum and dad coming for a meal on Thursday evening as it is my Son's 23rd Birthday...doesn't it make you feel soooo old when you say there age, well, especially when they are that age!!
I cant quite decide what to cook, we all love mushrooms except son's girlfriend, she says that they remind her of slugs!! Oh well, I think that I may do Pate for her and Mushrooms in a creamy mascarpone, spinach and garlic sauce with toasted ciabatta on a Bed of Salad for us to start, followed by Chicken Breast wrapped in Bacon and stuffed with Mushrooms (I did say we liked mushrooms!!) and Garlic Butter for main course, (yes, we like Garlic too!!) any suggestions on a desert? Something Chocolatie I think????

Anyway, cupboard isn't going to get done sat here waffling on is it?

Back soon!!

Andrea
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Eiderdown Finished and a Funky Find!!

(The view from our back bedroom window this morning!!

Yeah...day off work today...but it is soooo cold isn't it?!

All the more reason to get my Patchwork Eiderdown finished, I had finished the front of it a few months ago, but then delayed in wadding it and putting the backing on it, truth be told...I didnt know how to complete it!! But on Sunday I took the Bull by the horns (so to speak!) and have finished it, the front consists of a selection of Cath Kidston fabrics, and also when my son was little he had a Blue and White stripe Duvet cover on his bed, and to be honest all of the years of being washed it has really kept its colour and not faded at all so I also used this mixed in with the florals, I also used it for the backing, its quite nice really to think that it has not simply been binned and has gone on to be used for something that will (hopefully) last for many years to come!
I was a little too generous really with the wadding and it is quite fat...but nice and cosy!!

On Sunday as my Hubby started to cook the Roast he realised that we had run out of Cooking Oil, and coaxed me into going out to get some, with some spending money!! I only went to Lidl so not exactly very exciting, but look what I found!!

I LOVE it!! My kitchen has not got ANY Red accessories in it at all!! It consists of Pinks, Blues, and Greens, but when I spotted this on the shelf I just HAD to have it, and I can always add a little Red to my kitchen cant I?! What I could do with is a few things now with all the colours to tie it all in, I did see some Bowls in TK MAXX last week which had all of these colours in but as I was meant to be Christmas shopping I put them back on the shelf, dont you find that, when you are supposed to be shopping for other people you see loads of things that you want, and yet when there is money in your purse...burning a big hole, you cannot find anything that you want!!

Oh, and I bought this, it is meant as a Placemat, but not really very practicle as it is thick felt, so if food was spilt on it you couldn't really wash it, but I just had to have it as I thought it was really pretty and I thought that with a bowl of Sweets or Nuts sat on it over the festive period it would look quite nice!

I am actually really in to Red at the moment...had you noticed!! It is such a warm colour I think, especially at this time of year when it is cold and horrid outside.

I hope that you are all coming on nicely with preparing for your Christmas Swops! I think that I am nearly there, now, the decision to wrap in festive paper or not? I think its got to be dont you?!!

Right then, I had better go now, enough rambling, my husband took some cakes into work this morning to give to my dad, they work together! And he got funny looks from the others as they had not been given any to have with there morning coffee so I have had orders to bake some more for them, oh well plenty of eggs at the moment and by putting the oven on it with warm me up a little!!

Enjoy the rest of your week and keep warm,

Andrea

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Car Boot Finds and Corners of My Home

YEAH!!!! It's Friday!!!

I am sat at my kitchen table (after a hard days work, well it was quite hard, having to get up and leave home by 6.30 in the morning really does me in and so come 5 o'clock in the evening I am knackered!!) with a glass of Rose' Wine and a Bowl of Prawn Crackers and a Cutney Dip, sounds disgusting I know, but actually it's YUM!!

I apologise to my followers for my lack of blogging in the last week or so...I just do not know where the time goes, a run on making Draught Excluders has taken a bit of time this week to get up to date with getting them in the post to customers patiently waiting in this cold spell that we have had so apologies if you were one of those!!

I just wanted to run this past you all...I picked this up at the Car Boot...£6.00...Bargain!! It has been stripped of its old paint in the past and so it does seem a shame to paint over someones hard work (unless it was dipped and that is easy!) shall I paint it or leave it as it is? I plan to use it as a Bedside Cupboard, perhaps I could paint it but leave the top of it un-painted? What would you do??

Also I picked this up for £1.00, I showed it to my mum bless her who said "Thats a bit old fashioned isn't it, where you going to hang that"!!! Another decision has to be made, shall I paint the frame or leave it as it is?

I thought that I would let you take a peek at a couple of corners of my home......

Above is a view from my front porch once you are inside, the little window looks out onto open fields, which is nice,

A corner of my lounge...not very exciting, TV looks a bit too big for that stand actually!

The view from my Kitchen Window....not very exciting as there has been an extension added on to the back of the house so I look out into my Utility room now!! It's a nice deep window ledge which I try and keep looking as pretty as I can but it is a little hard with the tap so close to everything and things do get a bit splashed...especially when it involves husbands (I do only have the one, but I am sure that some of you can relate to what I mean!) washing their hands and then shaking them...I am sure you get my drift!!

My Wall Dresser, I bought this from good old Ebay for £15.00 and sanded it off and painted it in this Rich Shade of Cream, I do like it but I think that it could do with a few prettier bits and bobs on now, only thing is I have to be careful as to what I put on it as it is a plasterboard wall behind and hubby has informed me not to put anything too heavy on it!! Do I believe him? Well I do keep adding the odd bit of crockery now and again and hold my breath as I put it on there...thing is, its the Dog who's gonna get it as he sleeps underneath beside the radiator!!!!! Now, for all you animal lovers out there that are now thinking, Oh No, how awful, it is NOT going to fall off the wall just like that, unless of course someone such as a nephew tries swinging off it,which is highly unlikely, no, I mean likely!!



And last but not least....the view from my Bedroom window, I do feel quite lucky actually each morning when I get up to open the curtains and be able to have a view like this!

Just before I go I do want to thank Josie Mary and also my Wonderful Sister Tilly Rose for this award, I will get around this week-end to passing it on to some other great bloggers!

Have a great week-end and catch up with you all in the next couple of days!

Andrea

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Knitting and Crocheting and Chocolates!!

This is Jo's fault over at French Knots !!

Ever since she has shown us the Beautiful Scarf that she has made I have been totally inspired to get some Needles and start Knitting!! I used to knit when I about 10 years old, but I can't remember now how to do it, all that Wine has killed off my Brain Cells!!
Actually I can't blame Jo entirely, I borrowed this book from the library and spotted this lovely Chunky Knitted Cushion Cover...and I want to make it!! This evening would be good, I want to run before I can walk as they say!!

Ginny over at The Flour Loft has very kindly let me have the name of a good Teach yourself how to Knit Book so I shall be going onto good old reliable Amazon later on to seek that one out, thanks for that Ginny.

But that's not all...I also want to make this Adorable Crochet Throw, and guess what? You've got it, I don't know how to Crochet either!! I have purchased an adorable ball of wool, yes, just the one, to practise with, it is a Soft & Gentle Baby Pink Chenile Wool, my husband however, has kindly informed me that I won't be able to use this kind of wool to start as I won't be able to see my stitches? What does he know? Or maybe he is right?!

I am not sure where all of this has come from? I want to make this, I want to make that, I want, I want, at the ripe old age of 42 you would have thought that all of this would be out of my system by now wouldn't you?! But I am sure that you will all agree it is Gorgeous and I can just imagine it sitting at the bottom of my bed!! So, if you know any easy teach yourself how to Crochet books then I would love to hear about them!!


I have had an early Valentines Present!!! No, not from my Husband but from my Son & his Girlfriend!! Don't they look Delicious? They are all packaged up soooo wonderfully that I do not want to undo them!! I think that these will be beside me tomorrow evening, on the sofa with a glass or Two of Bubbly!! Yummy...I cant wait!

Hope that you all get something nice for Valentines Day!

Andrea xx

Dried Rosebuds and Nephews...yummy!!

Not wishing to blow my own Trumpet, so to speak! But I am rather pleased with the way that a couple of my new Handmade goodies have turned out!! The Rose Bud Ball is my favourite, is has actually turned out much bigger than I had imagined it would!

The Wire Heart embellished with sparkly Gems & Beads looks lovely when the sun shines through the window and they catch the rays of sun light....ok that hasn't happened yet, but it will!!

Of which all can be viewed and purchased from my Ebay Shop!!

Hope that you have all had a good week-end, we did, my son and his girlfriend came around for the evening and we had a takeaway, attempted to play Who wants to be a millionaire and failed drastically, so ended up playing Pass The Pig!! Have you ever played that game? Not exactly Brain Tasking..but quite good fun!

And on Sunday afternoon I looked after my youngest nephew, of only 12 weeks old, oh my god he is sooo yummy, but what a responsibility looking after someone elses children!! He fell asleep on my large Feather floor cushion, so as we live in an old Cottage with lots of draughts I covered him up in lots of blankets to keep him nice and warm...but then you couldnt see him breathing...so off the blankets came!! My sister and her husband wanted to take the elder two children to Ten Pin Bowling, I don't think that it was particularly a successful event, the eldest (3 years) nearly got strung up to the ceiling and the younger (1year) nearly got thrown down the alley with the balls, you take these children somewhere nice for the day, miserable weather so make the effort to get them out of the house, and how do they re-pay you? By being little S***s!! but it was a few hours out!!!

The Weather has been really awful here today, I drove my son and his girlfriend back to her mums house and the roof nearly came off the car as it was sooo windy,....dont tell my mum as it was her car and she wouldnt be impressed if I called her whilst she is Holidaying in Australia to tell her...by the way, you now really do have a convertible...it has no roof at all!! Whoops!!

Catch up again in a day or two,

Andrea

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