Daisy Made It

Sun, sun, sun.....

We Brits are known for always going on about our weather, but really this glorious sunshine deserves to have a mention.....we've been hitting 29/30 degrees and it's been bliss.  It's so nice to sit outside in the fresh air, feel the sun on your face and see a wonderful blue sky......doesn't it make you feel better, far better than looking out the window at a grey, dismal, wet day and feeling so cold, especially this far into the year?

It's not long now until we go on vacation....Los Angeles and Las Vegas and I can't wait.  Los Angeles will be a little busy, but it's only for a few days and then it's Vegas, the one place where we really unwind and relax.....chilling by the pool, seeing a few shows, maybe a little shopping and maybe a little more fabric shopping :)

In preparation I made myself a little travel document holder.

It has pockets for passports, pockets for boarding cards and a space to tuck away your hotel confirmation/details and ESTA forms....and it's all in lovely Cath Kidston fabric.

No more searching in bags or pockets for the correct documents at the airport.....or having Ross lose his passport on the plane and not realising til he was at passport control.......he couldn't get back on the plane to look for it and couldn't go through passport control, he was stuck in no mans land for a while......they did eventually find it, after taking the whole seat apart!!!  Maybe that was all part of a clever plan though, as by the time he was sorted I had gone through passport control and collected all the baggage and he joined me as I was leaving the airport........mmm, think I may have been had that time :)

Golden Day

Happy 21^st Birthday Charley!!!

Twenty one years ago my beautiful, gorgeous daughter arrived and completed our family.  It wasn’t the easiest of deliveries but every day since has been a total joy and I have loved to watch her grow into the wonderful person she is today.

Charley was an easy baby....never cried, was always happy and slept all night....sheer bliss.  I have shared her joys...horse riding, ballet, singing, rock climbing, skiing, sports.....and have comforted during her difficult times....bullying, changing schools, leaving home for uni, unpleasantness from so called ‘friends’ and through it all Charley has remained true, honest and determined to keep moving towards her goals.

I don’t know what I did to deserve having such an amazing person share my life.  I am immensely proud of Charley and all that she has achieved and have enjoyed watching her develop into who she is today.

Have a wonderful Golden Birthday Gorgeous – I love you xxx

All good things.....

It's such an exciting time around here at the moment.....I'm quilting lots, I'm crocheting lots, we're waiting for the arrival of a very special baby

Charley is 21 on Monday (the same day the baby is due) and Katey, the baby's mum is 21 in less than a month....so there's lots of excitement, suspense and an array of cute lovely things being made...it's a great start to the summer.

With all that being said I need to get back to my sewing machine and crochet hook and will post updates, photos as they happen :)

2012 is going to be a great year!!!

Another bag!!!

I've crocheted my first bag - yayyyy......and I love it :) I used a pattern I found on Lucy's blog Attic 24.......such a great blog full of wonderful ideas and inspiration, anyway I fell in love with the look of this bag and knew I wanted to make one to carry my yarn and crochet projects in, you can find the pattern here.  I have to say it was soooo easy to make and had great fun finishing it off with some cute flowers on the handles

It's such a great bag that I thnk I might just have to make another one to use for everyday....it would make a great pool bag for holidays

I made mine with 100% cotton yarn and crocheted it on a smaller hook to make it a bit tighter, so the bag would be a bit firmer and not too stretchy....I think I'll have to look for some girlie colours and make a couple of smaller versions for my nieces.....now I wonder what I'll find to crochet now :)

Hooked......

I can honestly say that I think I'm completely and utterly hooked on crochet :)

For me it's the perfect thing to do in the evenings sitting in front of the tv or just chilling on the sofa, it's also a very portable project so if I go anywhere I can grab my crochet bag and I can keep my hands busy :)

It was my birthday on Saturday and I got a fab crochet book and last night made this cute rose with leaves....I love it :)

It came from this book at Amazon, 200 Crochet Flowers, Embellishments & Trims it's a fab book and I am even understanding how to read a crochet pattern.....something which I have never grasped before, all those little symbols were like a foreign language to me....but not anymore :)

I had a couple of outings with friends for my birthday over a couple of nights and paid heavily for it yesterday......the old joints wouldn't let me do much so I sat and crocheted....I made some fingerless gloves, the rose with leaves which I think I'll put on the front of my crochet clutch case, some flower coasters - wouldn't they look good sewn together for a throw - and a couple of evenings ago I tried a ripple pattern for a cushion

I'm also going off to a little crochet workshop in May run by a lovely lady at Hook and Scumble.....I'm very excited to have an afternoon out and see what jubilee themed item we will make :)

So now I need to fit in another morning with friends for coffee and crochet :) But today I must sandwich my dads quilt and start on the quilting.....it's for his birthday next week, so I need to get moving and get it finished, but I am still learning to pace myself and not exhaust myself too quickly so I'll just take it all slow and steady over the next couple of days until it's done, then I can sit and do my favourite part of making a quilt....hand stitching the binding down :)

Has it been that long???

Wow I didn't realise how long it's been since I last posted.....things have been a little busy and I have a feeling they'll stay this way until our holiday.

Aside from crocheting lots more daisy blocks to make a few more cushions, I also have 3 quilts to make, an appliqued cushion, 4 birthdays to get ready for (not including my own), the birth of a new baby - very excited about that one :) - and some childminding for my nieces.  In amongst this there have been 6 trips to the doctors in the last 4 weeks, 2 blood tests, 2 x-rays, a visit to the eye hospital and (hopefully) one last visit to the doctor next week......phew, makes me tired just reading it.

The result of the medical stuff so far is that I have osteoarthritis, which is extremely painful and I am learning to adjust to a new (slower) pace of life and I am also haivng tests to see if my Sarcoidosis has returned......it's not my idea of having a fun time, I usually avoid the doctors surgery like the plague, now I'm on very familiar terms with a very nice doctor I've found at the surgery - oh how your life can turn around LOL.

It hasn't all been doom and gloom though.....me and Ross got up to Edinburgh for a few days and visited our friends up there......Edinburgh is lovely, but hiking around the city, with all its hills wasn't the most ideal way to address the arthritis.....I'm feeling very sore and achey today.....but on one of our walks I found this gorgeous wedding dress in the window of a kilt makers shop.....I loved it, what do you think???

Then on the same walk, just a few hundred metres down the road we found some adorabe footwear......my heart almost skipped a beat when I saw these babies in the window and not only did they have my size but Ross bought them for me......I personally think they'd look fab with the wedding dress, but that's not something you'd catch me wearing, haha.....I'm going to have to think about what to wear with my new footwear but in the meantime you can enjoy them with me :)

I've always loved Doc Martens, but floral DM's......well, I am in love big time :)

Daisies......

Well I have to say I am loving crochet......I finished my first project, which was a daisy cushion for Charley...here she is snuggling it as soon as I'd put the last stitch in :)

I have to admit to be really pleased with myself....this was my first crochet project and I think it turned out pretty good :)

Here is the full cushion, I made it using a 3D daisy block pattern by Zoomyummy, her instructions are very clear and it was a lovely block to make :)

I now have to make two more, one in pink for Lily and one in lilac for Analise, so I guess we all know what I'll be doing over Easter :)

Wishing you all a very happy easter weekend....mine will be filled with family, fun, sewing and crochet :)

Spring is in the air....

....and that means lots of excitement everywhere.  The sun is shining....the birds are singing....bees are buzzing....flowers are blooming and I have an abundance of baby things to make :)

I have one baby quilt finished, and now I have the babies details I can add them to the label on the back and deliver to the customer...

I also have another baby quilt almost finshed, this one is more colourful and is for a very special baby due in approximately 6 weeks, so no pictures yet :)

I also have a few more things to make for a baby shower I'm off to on Sunday.......springtime is definitely a time for babies :)

I also received a lovely gift yesterday from a lovely friend......as I've just recently taught myself to crochet, my lovely friend Rowena bought me this from Cath Kidston

.....very handy to pop into my bag when I have time to make a few granny squares while I'm waiting around.

And now, I'm going to make the most of the sunshine and sit in the garden doing some handwork.....I'm not sure it will last much longer.

Have a wonderful day everyone :)

3 years!!!!!

Can it really only be 3 years since my darling little niece Analise burst into our lives???

She was adorable from the first moment, arriving a month early, not being able to wait a moment longer......and that has been her personality ever since, always right there, letting you know Analise is in the room and commanding an audience :)

Analise is loud, cheeky, a natural born comedienne and an absolute joy to be around....she is very like me stubborn, determined and independant and we connect on a deep level......she just 'gets' me and can always lift my spirits and make me smile :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANALISE XX

I'm coming to see you later for 'big squeezes' and lots of 'kisses'

Granny squares

Ooooh I am loving crochet......and am loving my video lessons that I found, if you want to learn to crochet, then check out these lessons at Craftyminx.  Dana is a great teacher, no one has made me 'get it' in the world of crochet before and I'm thrilled :)

On Monday I made my first circle of crochet, then I went quilting on Tuesday and on Wednesday I made my first granny square

and then I attempted a daisy square, that I had bought the pattern for......to be honest I didn't think I'd manage it, but after having great instruction form Craftyminx and then a very clear pattern from Zoomyummy I managed it

Isn't it lovely......I've already had a request from Charley for ANYTHING made with these.....I'm picturing a blanket of daisies to snuggle under :)

Today though, there is no time to crochet......I have to finish quilting a quilt for my niece, but by this evening I should have finished the quilt and then I can make a few more daisy squares :) Hope your day is as enjoyable as mine :)