50 Followers Giveaway!!

You may remember that I promised to do a giveaway when I reached 50 followers? That number was reached this week so today I have details!!

This is what you can win:

Included is:

• A Sizzix Sidekick Starter Kit including the machine & two dies - find out more about this little cutting machine here

• A machine embroidered cupcake panel - now the one above is for illustration purposes only as I haven't actually made the one I'm giving away yet BUT it's going to be bigger (so you can make it into a cushion if you want) and have a green polka dot background.

• A FCUK Polished Sugarscrub body exfoliator which smells gorgeous.

• A fruity pink, slightly sparkly lipgloss.

• All this comes in a fab 100% cotton tote bag emblazoned with a Union Jack - I bought two today, one for you and one for me. I used mine for my shopping and it's really big as well as having long enough straps that you can wear it on your shoulder.

To Enter:

Leave me a comment below. Simples!!

If you want a second chance then do a link from your blog to my giveaway post for another entry.

The giveaway runs for one week until 13th May when I will pull one name out of the hat - make sure I can reach you!!

Ooooh, and I have done a tutorial for you - my very first, so watch this space!!

Hugs,

S x

Giveaway News and More!!

I have reached 50 followers!! I am so chuffed!! And so I shall soon be doing a little giveaway - just need to have a little think and collect some goodies so watch this space!!

Yesterday I picked up Free And Easy Stitch Style by Poppy Treffry from the library (I *love* the library).

I fancied doing a bit of free motion machine embroidery after seeing the lovely Kirstie Allsopp have a go on Kirstie's Homemade Home last year.

Many years ago at school one of my GCSE assignments was machine embroidery - I painted a rose onto silk and then embellished it using the machine. Goodness knows what happened to it - perhaps it's in the loft?

The book:

It has some lovely ideas inside and clear instructions and tips on how to be successful, one of the most important being it doesn't have to be perfect!!:

So using this picture as my inspiration, I had a go:

And this is how it turned out:

I'm quite pleased with it and it was sooooo much fun!! I need to invest in lots of colourful thread though as I only have a limited selection, but I can see myself doing lots more of this.

This morning I collected a lovely basket from a lady on Freegle  who was giving it away. I need it to hold my yarn as Bear is just obsessed with wool!! If it's not shut away he spreads it around the whole house, cartoon style!!:

Don't you just love secondhand stuff? In fact, in our house we have only ever bought two items of furniture brand new - our wardrobe & bed. The rest came from junk shops; eBay; family castoffs or the tip!!

I love painted furniture so the majority of it gets a coat of cream paint, I'll have to take some pictures of our secondhand finds and show you in another post.

Hope you are enjoying the lovely weather, don't forget to check back soon as in the next week I should have details of my very first giveaway!!

S x

How Was Your Weekend?

After all the wedding fun on Friday we had a lazy day on Saturday - I did a bit of sewing (finished another maxi dress which I'll show you another time) and then on Sunday we went to watch my little neice Evie's "pony party" for her birthday (which was on Easter Monday).

Getting the reins sorted:

I must confess it was all a little chaotic - Evie adores horses (I always say she has the "horsey gene" like I do) but some of the guests who attended (ten little girls!!) were not so sure and so there was quite a bit of crying, and mums having to run in and out. And then, one of the little girls was sick. 

Now, I haven't mentioned it before but I. Don't. Do. Sick. I mean I. Really. Don't. Do. Sick. 

I have what is known as emetaphobia - a fear of vomiting. When I was pregnant with Son#2 I was sick for the whole 9 months and admitted 9 times to hospital to be rehydrated as I couldn't keep anything down. This has left me with my phobia.

So - after I realised the little mite had been sick I was off like a shot and came straight home!! To me staying there meant I might catch whatever had made her ill and due to my phobia I couldn't risk it.

I have tried all sorts of treatments for my phobia, but nothing works and it does have a big impact on my life :0(

Anyway, I called my sister later and it transpires that in the end all the girls had a good time. I'm hoping that my sister will let Evie have lessons now. I really want to nuture Evie's horsey gene as my boys are not interested and it would be lovely if Evie could one day ride with me.

Just before I leave you let me show you this pic of Jasper and I:

I was doing a quick bit of hooky whilst dinner cooked and Jasper came for a cuddle, he really snuggles in and you can't help but stop and sink your face into his velvety fur.

(Please ignore the frizzy hair, I neglected to use the GHD's today!!)

S x

April's Completed Projects....

In an unashamed rip-off of my friend Ashley over at Jellybeans Odds and Ends (well, they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!!) I have decided to do a little gallery of the things I have completed in April.


My maxi dress - first time sewing with jersey. I really like this one (which is fab as the last 3 garments were hideous!!) and have another half done:

I also made a short dress in the same fabric but I looked ghastly in the pics so I shall have to re-do those!!

Two Bags:

Crochet cushion:

Crocheted pillowcase edging:

Bunting: 

This is done too but not ready to photograph:

Wow, that's eight completed projects!! I'm really surprised by that as I thought I was much better at starting things than finishing them (story of my life!!)

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend?

S x

Don't You Just Love A Wedding?

I must confess that despite having mixed feelings regarding the Royals I have been sooooo excited about this wedding!!

I think it is because of all the Royal family Princes William and Harry are probably the most down to earth and well loved. They seem connected to us as their people more than any of the older generations of the family.

I also remember very clearly watching Diana and Charles marry when I was just a little girl of 9, I remember William being born, and him losing his mother so young.

So, it was with great excitement I awake this morning to prepare for the wedding!! We had family over to watch, with a traditional English "afternoon tea" (allbeit in the morning!!) and we sat glued!!

I must confess to having a blub several times throughout the morning, beginning with when William and Harry left for Westminster Abbey.

Kate's dress was just stunning!!: 

Look at that train - a statement but not stupidly long:

As Kate reached the alter William whispered "You are beautiful"....

Breaking with tradition Kate and William kissed not once, but twice on the balcony of Buckingham Palace:

And so they became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge....

We celebrated with lots of good things to eat - from front back we have Nephew; Son #1; Neice & Son #2:

We watched the action unfold on the BBC and in HD the images of Westminster Abbey were just breathtaking as was the sweeping music.

We do do pomp and circumstance so very well in this country and I have to say that I feel very proud to be British today....

I hope you are all having a lovely day?

S x

Sweet Peas and Magazines....

Yesterday Hubby built me a little bed to house my sweet peas:

Last year I had three little plants and they gave me a small vase of fragrant blooms from June-Sept. This year I have planted, ahem, 36 plants!! In front of them my dahlias have gone out so this is going to be the "cut flower" bed. I'll post further pics as it grows....

I have only recently become a reader of Country Homes & Interiors and Country Living. I love all the gorgeous interiors and find the magazines a huge source of inspiration but I do wonder if it's those of us that yearn for a country home that actually buy the majority of copies rather than those lucky individuals that have a country home?

This is the new issue, I couldn't believe how *me* one of the homes featured is:

I love this sofa with the Greengate quilt used as a throw - I am definitely going to do this on the elderly sofa in our conservatory. 

We have a running joke as we always have family cast off sofas (in fact we've never had a new one!!) - we've had three of my sisters sofas and one from my Mum!! Indeed, next time my sister shops for a suite I think we should go along as well to approve it!!

The conservatory sofa came back with my sister from America 10 years ago and is a huge tweed affair but it becoming worn on the cushions so a beautiful quilt like the one above would be a perfect solution.

How much Cath Kidston can you spot in this pic?:

And after seeing this one, I am now wanting a CK tablecloth for the conservatory table:

Their gorgeous conservatory:

After being hopeless with money in our youth I think we are probably stuck in our 1970's semi - but it is in a very quiet cul-de-sac; on the edge of the countryside; not overlooked; has a nice garden, perfectly sized for us and I am busy covering the interior with shabby chic loveliness.

Maybe one day I will get my Edwardian rectory with an AGA, open fires in every room and the horses in the garden but until then it's all good....

Been Busy With The Makes....

Today is my little niece Evie's 5th birthday - she is the first girl in our family in the last seven births so is thoroughly spoilt:

Isn't she just gorgeous?

I am chuffed because Evie seems to have the Horsey Gene that I have. Both my boys don't have it so it is lovely to have a child that loves horses as much as I do. She got lots of horsey presents and next week she is having a pony party for her birthday and I am hoping that my sister will now let her have riding lessons (I bought her her first lesson last year but it was decreed she was too young by her Dad, lol).

We met my Sister, BIL, nephew and neice along with Nannie on the common near the seafront for a picnic. I made these to take (this was just the first batch I made lots more!!):

Double Choc Chip Cookies

I don't bake very often as I am trying to lose weight *rollseyes* (even though since Christmas I have struggled to get my head back around it - I managed to lose 2st before December but just can't get in the right headspace ATM).

These cookies worked out really well, they aren't pretty but they had just the right about of crunch and gooeyness.

You need:

200g brown sugar (I only had demerara)

200g white sugar

200g butter

450g plain flour

100g dark choc

100g milk choc

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 x eggs

Mix the butter with the sugars, add the egg and mix. Stir in flour and chopped up chocolate. Add vanilla.

Drop onto a lined tray (I lined mine with silicone liners) and bake in batches for 10-12mins at 180 degrees C.

Makes about 20 cookies, so if you are not baking for a family picnic you might want to half it!!

I made Son#2 a school bag:

I finished a crochet cushion:

TBH I am not crazy about the colours but I wanted to use it up and I like the wavy pattern.

And I completed the trim on my plain white pillowcases:

I got the idea from You Go Girl's tutorial but I just looked at the pic and did my own thing rather than following the pattern so I am not sure the shells are exactly right. I liked the idea of bright cotton crocheted onto plain white so that's what I did.

I also finished a dress this weekend, though I am not happy with the pic of me in it so I will show you that another time!!

Hope you are all having a lovely bank holiday?

S x