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

x 

My Christmas Swop and my Red Table

This Morning Hubby went up to the Main sorting office in Exeter to collect my Swop from Hen House that the Postie had tried to deliver in the week but as we were at work he was unable to leave it, look how Beautiful it is all wrapped up.........



I am going to email Hen to ask if she minds if I do not unwrap it just yet and do my best to wait until Christams Day! If it's ok with her then you too will have to wait to see what lovely goodies are inside!!! It's sooooo exciting and I am sooooo pleased that I took part in this!

I had this table from good old Freecycle a few weeks ago and have now finally got around to painting the legs of it in a Bright Red and covering that top of it in Cath Kidston Chintz Oilcloth, I think that it is perfect as when Hubby has Cheese & Biscuits and a Glass of Red Wine in the evening I can simply wipe the top off with a damp cloth and it will be as good as new again without leaving a ring mark on the wood and staining it.



It was put to good use last evening for the first time too, my parents came over for a Roast Meal last evening which was a nice surprise, Hubby was talking to Dad on the telephone late afternoon yesterday and mentioned that they may pop over for a drink with us in the evening and so Hubby suggested that if they were coming over why not come and have Tea with us? We didn't have to ask twice!!!!! So it was perfect to pop our drinks on as when you have a clumsy Labrador trying to get as close as he can to the Fireplace, regardless as to what is in his way as he is coming through!!! It saved any accidents occuring as Drinks were up out of the way!!

It's strange weather here today, Damp, Grey and pretty miserable, I have a Basket of wet washing that if I put out on the washing line I think that it would just hang there and be just as damp when I picked it in as it is now, I think that I will wait and see what the weather does tomorrow and see if we get a little bit of Sunshine and a bit of a Breeze to help it along.

How are your week-ends panning out? Are you venturing out into the Crowds of many many people in the town centres or are you internet shopping? We do not have that much more to buy now, I think four more pressies and I would like to get a couple of Table Pressies, oh, but we do still have the dreaded Food shop to do, we may do most of that actually on Friday when I finsh work (except for the Fruit and Veg which we will get on Christmas Eve), we finish at 2.30 so can get in and out before most people leave work and head to the Supermarkets!

Right, I am going to go and clean the Chooks out now as it looks as if we are in for a shower of rain so need to get on with it,

enjoy the rest of your week-end
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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

x

Tagged!!!!!

I have been Tagged by sophiehoneysuckle and so I have to list 8 random facts about myself!! Oh my goodness where do I start? Well here goes...

1, I love food, especially Garlic! Ooooh Little Roast Potatoes with fresh Garlic sprinkled all over them whilst they are being cooked-my favourite! I know that it is not a very sociable food, to smell it on someone else who has been eating it when you have not is just terrible, whenever I am cooking I try and sneak in more than I probably should be using until Hubby comes along and takes some of it away from me before it reaches the pan!! Meanie!!

2, I hate flying, I LOVE going on Holiday, especially abroad, but I so wish that I did not have to do the flying bit, I still do it every year, well most years! I am not sure why I hate it so much, I keep looking at the Air Stewardesses faces because if they do not look scared then everything is probably all ok! Even when they are doing the "In an Emergency Routine" I feel like I want to sing to myself so that I can't here what I need to do with the life jacket when I reach for it under my seat...although I need that jacket as much as anyone especially when I can't even swim!!

3, I love my Home, I so enjoy making a heavenly place to be living in, in the winter evenings there is nothing quite like lighting the open fire, watching a good film and nestling in on the sofa...oh and a Glass of wine in hand!! On that note of our Homes..As we all seem to be mentioning our Beds that we have at the moment, I thought that I would post a pic of mine....

4, I love running my own business, I was employed as a Sales Manager for so many years, and having to be there at the same time every day, day in day out, oh I so could not go back to doing that again, if I want a lie in one morning I can now have one, if I want to take a day off in the week and work all week-end...I CAN!! Except though when business is quiet and then I panic!

5, I am addicted to buying Homes and Interiors magazines, having a nose to see what everyone else is doing to the insides of there homes, hubby moans about the cost of them, but like I say to him, my Mum gets to read them and then my Sister, so in a way they are being recycled!! I think that it is great when you all post pics of the insides of your homes, it adds interest to our blogs I think!

What else can I write???

6, I love making new things, we initially designed our little Wooden Hearts for Wedding Place Settings and that led to making Wooden Fish & Boats, then we got asked for Handmade Wooden Heart Curtain Tiebacks! I now have a Brand Spanking New Sewing Machine that my Mum bought me for my Birthday which I intend (one day) to start to make Cushions, I also now have a little supply of assorted Beads in stock that I cannot wait to start to make things with, I just wish sometimes that there were more hours in the day! I have recently recovered my Chaise Longue and Foot Stool-I even surprised myself how well I did! Just don't look too closely!!

7, I Cannot read a book without falling asleep! Even some evenings when I pick up the Newspaper to read i start to snooze...it is sooo annoying when you really want to read a book but your eyes will just not let you!

8, Struggling with Number 8!! Ummn, oh I no...I love Exercising and Running and Swimming...No I do not that's all lies, it sounded good for a second or two though didn't it!! I do not do any exercise, except walk around the Garden and collect what the Dog has been and done in the past week and Hubby is moaning as he wants to mow the lawn!!

There, all done, please do not make me do that again!!! x

Before I finish I also wanted to let you know that on my Web Site I have started to do a Monthly Prize Draw, there will be a new item every month that will be up for grabs! So have a look at this months Freebie Prize Giveaway Country Elegance and send me an email to enter!!

Well I think that is enough for one day, I do not want to send you to sleep through boredom now do I!!

Speak soon, Andrea x