Lovely Linens & Comedy Moustaches....

Hello my dears,


I hope you are all well and not too stressed with Christmas preparations?


We are almost there with our Christmas shopping, just a few more bits to get and make and then the food shopping to do. Mr G is off from Tuesday next week until Jan 3rd (yay!!) and so we will do it together next week.


We are going out for Christmas dinner to a pub but we still like to have lots of treats and I'll cook a turkey crown as one of our favourites things is turkey and stuffing sandwiches.


Mr G has been lightening the mood here by modelling a selection of comedy moustaches:

I *really* fancy him wearing this one!!

He says that when he has no hair at all on his head he may indeed grow a 'tache to go with his goatee.

Mr G has me in hysterics everyday,  he makes me laugh so much and I fell truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband *gush alert*.

I won a lovely collection of vintage linens on eBay I want to show you:

I won them in two lots for just a few pounds....

I'm quite happy to just look at and stroke them as they are so pretty but I have been making something with a few, I can't show you yet as the recipient is a follower.

I've used a few around the house too, a couple on our bedroom windowsill, the cloth with the lilacs in my sewing room and this gorgeous runner in the bathroom:

It has little birds - I love birds on things!!

The embroidery is really exquisite, it's hard to tell the front from the back!!:

It makes me wonder who it was who spent so much time doing such perfect stitches....

I'm feeling a wee bit down today as a friend had a huge go at me after I thought I done the right thing regarding something (that sounds very intriguing but it's not even anything very interesting or important) - I'm a bit shocked and upset by the whole thing TBH.

Christmastime is often tricky for me with my anxiety/phobia/OCD so it's one thing I could have done without....

Still, I have you lovelies to chat too so that makes me feel a whole lot better.

hugs,

S x

This Weekend....

Hello, my lovelies!!


I hope you have had a nice weekend?


On Saturday morning and went to an Annie Sloan painting workshop run by the little shop where I buy my paints. I learnt a few new things such as how to do a stipple effect with three colours; an "impasto" technique that gives an almost leather-like finish and gilding:

I did the class with my friend L:

It was a very pleasant way indeed to spend a morning.

On Saturday afternoon I spent virtually the whole afternoon on the Ancestry website having a go at researching our family tree. It's all a bit complicated as my Mum was adopted - I have done the main tree using my adopted grandparents as they are the ones that mean something to me. I did start another to try and follow the biological line but have hit a brick wall after just two generations - I've managed about 8 generations on the "proper" tree.

My paternal Granddad is Polish and so I hit a brick wall there too, as an utter novice at the genealogy thing, I have no clue how to research your tree if you are descended from another nationality.

So far I have just found the names of the ancestors (although there was a photo of my great-great-great grandfather) and next up is to try and find out more. Have any of you lovely ladies researched your family trees?

Yesterday was a lazy day really, we picked up a couple of bits for me to do the Fugly-To-Fabulous thing on and then just mooched at home.

What did you get up to this weekend? 

hugs,

S x

Nativity....

This morning I went to watch my little niece E (who is 5) in her nativity play. It was the first time I had seen her do one as usually my Mum goes with my sister but today she couldn't make it so I stepped in.


E had originally been asked to play Mary but she refused, wanting to be an angel as they are "prettier".


This made me chuckle as W had done something similar for his nativity back when he was 3 - they asked him to be Joseph but he insisted on playing the moon - he was first on and walked the length of the room carrying a big moon on a stick above his head, he was so tiny and so serious there wasn't a dry eye in the place.


E did make a very pretty angel:

I must confess I did shed a little tear when they sang "Away In A Manger", not least because my boys are too big for nativity now.

I've been busy this week Fugly To Fabulousing too, Mr G picked up two bits of furniture I was a bit dubious about but I should have had faith as they have turned out really well.

A TV cabinet:

And a little chest of drawers/bedside table, to which I gave the Union Jack treatment:

From a festive point of view I made some orange & clove pomanders:

These have not been an entire success, they smell absolutely gorgeous, so Christmassy and I have been enjoying them for a week but today they all have a bloom of white mould on them *shudder* - they reminded me of something and eventually it came to me, they look like ET when they find him unconscious in the river before he "dies" - he too has a white bloom on him!!

So not sure what went wrong there, surely they are supposed to last longer than a week? We can have oranges left in the fruit bowl to get far more elderly than that and they stay in OK shape (if a little shrivelled!!)

This afternoon, I also made my wreath:

For some bizzare reason, although I have rotated and saved this photo the right way up it will only show on it's side here on Blogger....

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, but am not sure the £4.50 I saved was worth the mess and the spiked hands....

I am panicking about Christmas shopping having only done a fraction of it, Mr G is sorting the kids out as they want all manner of PC/XBox/boy things so that leaves me with everything else to sort *frazzled*

How is your Christmas shopping coming on? Are you a super-organised-it's-all-done-and-wrapped girl? Or a leave-it-the-last-minute kinda gal?

hugs,


S x

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas....

Gosh I've been a bit slack about blogging this last week so now I have to a huge post to catch up.


We've put the decorations up her at Shabby Chic HQ, when I say we, I mean that W and I started to put them up together, he lost interest after an hour and I did the rest myself whilst he complained he couldn't hear the XBox over my Michael Buble Christmas album!!


Now, I apologise in advance for the quality of the pics, my camera is really rather hopeless. I guess I could have had a new one for Christmas, but I was more keen on a fancy new sewing machine!!


The tree in the lounge:

With a lopsided star, why do they make them so heavy?

Next to the tree on the windowsill is the Nativity scene that my Mum knitted for us a couple of years ago - it was before I could knit, and even now I can I don't think I would have the patience:

Aren't they fab? My Stepdad even made them a stable....

We are hoping that Bear (one of our Tonkinese cats) is going to leave them alone as he is obsessed with wool and anything made of it (whatever the fibre) to the point where he was trying to drag my Mum's cardi off her.

He has also been hoolying around the trees in the manner of Simon's Cat - if you haven't seen the Christmas one (or indeed any of the Simon's Cat cartoons) do follow the link, they are hilarious, especially if you are a cat owner.

The "library" as we jokingly call it (it was the dining room before we had the conservatory along the back of the house and is now a bit of a none-room) looks all frosty and winter-white:

I collected fresh holly and ivy from the stables to decorate and also traipsed around the woods to find some sticks that Mr G spray painted antique white and gold for me to put them in a vase and I love, love, love them, I think they are going to have to stay after the festive season:

I'm thinking crocheted hearts for Valentines;  eggs for Easter;  flowers for summer, etc....

The snowflakes need starch really....

The tree in the conservatory is all blue and pink, but you can't really tell in this dreadful pic:

The dresser has had the treatment too:

I've also been inspired by (or is it I have just shamelessly copied?!!)  the lovely Vanessa over at Coco Rose Diaries and made some crochet covers for jars to create lovely votives:

And I have been making trees - a book page one:

 And one at my ceramics painting group (this starts out plain white bisque which you paint and it's then fired) - it's waiting for a light fitting and then the little bulbs will glow:

I've also been enjoying my Advent swap gifts from Sandie my favourite of which so far is this fab birdie paper garland:

In my sewing room so I can keep it up all year round (look at the condensation from the blummin' tumble dryer!!)

So, I think that is all I have to report for now - hope you all have a lovely week....

hugs,

S x

A Miscellany of Photos....

This post is a mish mash of photos I've taken recently that I keep forgetting to show you, so here goes!!


I treated myself to a lovely vintage eiderdown from eBay:

I have wanted one for ages but didn't know whether one would go with the patchwork but in the end decided to go for it.

It's a wee bit less pink and more peach than it looked in the listing, but I love it anyway (please try and ignore Jasper who thought I was taking pics of him!!) - it's very plump and lovely to snuggle under:

Another recent vintage find is this lovely Christmas tablecloth:

 Look at the perfect, tiny blanket stitch someone has used to hand appliqué:

Am I peculiar because it makes me a little sad that all this hard work ended up in a charity shop for a mere £3.00?

I bought some freezer paper an have been playing making stencils to paint on fabric:

I had a go at the Yorkshire pudding recipe from Kirstie's Handmade Britain:

I made bigos, which is the Polish national dish - my Dad used to make this and I found a recipe here - it was just how I remember it tasting. 

I always joke that you have to have a bit of eastern European blood (my Granddad is Polish) to like these Polish foods as Mr G is never keen (he's not keen on gherkins, rye bread, Polish farmers sausage or dark chocolate covered gingerbread, all things I love), but he liked this one!!:

Excitingly, my new sewing machine arrived this morning, Mr G has got it for me for Christmas but he refuses to let me have it early - he wouldn't even let me have a peep at it!! What a meanie!!

hugs,

S x

The Wonders of Blogland....

Today I am once again staggered by the wonderful people out there in blogland, not only are my spirits lifted by lovely comments, emails and little gifts from all the lovely ladies that read my humble blog, but I am also overwhelmed by the most wonderful parcel that turned up today for the Advent swap that Hookin' With Laalaa arranged.


We each got assigned a partner and the idea was to send a little gift (preferably handmade) for each of the advent days. My partner is Sandie from Sandie's Patch, and she has sent me the most amazing advent calendar:

Isn't it just gorgeous?!!

 It has pride of place in the conservatory....

So now I am looking forward to the 1st December when I can start opening all the lovely parcels, I'll post a pic everyday to show you what I got.

I sent my parcel for Sandie today by courier so she should get it tomorrow,  I am a a bit anxious now though as my one isn't as pretty as the one Sandie has sent me!! I just hope she likes what I have done for her, I have spent the last few weeks making things (I think about 18 of the 25 I made in the end) and have enjoyed putting it together so much.

Today I've also made a start on decorating for Christmas, I collected some holly and ivy from the stables and when I got home decided to put it straight up so it's beginning to look a bit like Christmas here!!

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend....

hugs,

S x

At Last - Cath Kidston Floor Tile Ta Dah!!

It's been two months since we had them delivered but finally the Cath Kidston tiles are down in the bathroom and I can do the Ta Dah!!:

I must confess I was a teeny bit unsure about them to begin with as they are really Rather Busy, but now they are all cleaned of glue I am really liking them.

It took so long to get them down as when we removed the lino ready for the floor man to do when he did the laminate back at the beginning of October we found the sink had been leaking and we had to let the chipboard floor dry out. 

After it had dried the floor man began to give us the run-around for weeks and we got the impression he would really rather not do it . Mr G was then meant to sort someone out to do it and he was typically lackadaisical about it until I came home and it was done!!

Mr G had done it himself!! He hadn't told me he planned on doing it as he knew I would stop him - he is known as Bodge It B***ett (our surname) and I wasn't going to knowingly let him loose on £200 of CK tiles.

But my misgivings were completely unfounded and he has done a fantastic job!!

Now a little review of them for you:

The tiles are ordered from Harvey Maria and cost £39.99 per pack (which does 1.115 square metres). You need to order the special adhesive too, which is £15.95.

The tiles are large rectangles, which measure 30.5cm x 45.7cm. They feel very good quality and are  thick, not floppy. The underside of the tiles are grey/black and the flowered side has a slight grainy texture.

With regards to fitting, Mr G has never fit a tile in his life and has done an excellent job. He Googled for tips on how to cut around for the loo and so on. He says they cut really nicely using a Stanley knife and a metal ruler. It took him about four hours and the only caveat is he was knee deep in the glue!! You spread it with a supplied tool (like a cake icing spatula) but the clean up was easy.

If you have traditional floorboards in your bathroom you will need to put ply down first as otherwise you get all the lines from the boards showing over time. We had chipboard already.

I know a lot of you wanted to know what these tiles look like in a "real" bathroom - the overall finish is very nice and I am really pleased with them,  my only niggle being that you can see the lines where the tiles join rather more than I expected (on the CK website you can barely see a join, which is a bit daft given they're tiles):

So there you have it - I get my tiles down and Mr G earns LOTS of Brownie Points!!

Hope you're having a good weekend....

hugs,

S x