52 weeks of happy (3/52)

I can't believe how quickly the weeks are flying by this year.  Time seems to race along when the little ones return to school.  One Monday to Friday rolls into the next.

So in the third week of Jen's 52 weeks of happy, here are my four simple, happy things.

A helping hand.  The biggest and the littlest, chasing after their brother. He's the little red speck on along the path.

A little treat.  Some glorious cupcakes from a lovely lady at a local craft fair.  They were as delicious as they look.

Two tiny feet in a pretty pair of plimsolls making me smile.

Lovely light.  A carpet of fallen leaves.  A beautiful sunny day.  Just as autumn should be.

So, what's making you happy? 

betsy

After teasing you all with my tales of my upholstery class it's time for a little reveal.  Meet Betsy.

My new hallway bench created by my own fair hand with a little help from my handy andy brother and a very patient tutor.

Before you ask.  No, I am not in the habit of naming all my furniture but as my bench and I have a special relationship built up over hours of prodding and poking to get her just right, innumerate loadings in and out of the boot of my car to go to class and easily a million touch ups of accidentally scratched paint when finally she was completed in all her glory I thought she deserved a name.

Betsy has a cute set of legs salvaged from a pine coffee table and a sturdy wooden frame built by my brother.  Carpentry is well beyond my DIY ability.  I know when I need to call in help.

I painted the legs with satin paint and gave them a coat of clear wax to protect them from the hoover, little feet and not so little feet.

The top is sprung with webbing and has a deep foam cushion for the seat.  The fabric is Quadrille in Summer by Clarke & Clarke.  I added piping to the centre of the bench.  It breaks up the expanse of fabric on the sides and adds a little pretty.

Betsy was my project from last term.  She just needed a few finishing touches. I have my sights set on greater things now I have built up my confidence.

There is a very battered and unloved Parker Knoll fireside chair waiting in the wings. 

pretty parcel in the post

Last week I was delighted to receive a pretty little parcel in the post.

I was one of the lucky winners of the recent Silly Old Suitcase giveaway.  A surprise package of treasures from the lovely Maartje.

Maartje put together a gorgeous gift for me, all packaged prettily with a handwritten note.

My parcel of treasures included,

a button brooch,

a wooden crochet hook,

a crochet bow brooch,

a flower necklace,

pretty fabric pieces,

and scrapbooking supplies.

I am feeling a little spoilt and so grateful for the thought and care that went into my gift.

I want to say a big thank you to Maartje.  I can't wait to get creative with my new supplies and I have already worn the pretty button brooch and necklace.

Maartje has a beautiful etsy shop also called Silly Old Suitcase.  It is well worth a visit.  She makes gorgeous things.  Maartje is on holiday at the moment but will reopen soon.

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I'm off out after tea to a handmade christmas class.  I can't wait.  How easily amused am I?

52 weeks of happy (2/52)

We have had a lovely mellow weekend, doing little and relaxing.  Walking, cooking and crafting.  My idea of bliss.

These weekends are always the loveliest.  No best laid plans, just roll with the punches.  Doing the little things we all enjoy.

Continuing with Jen's year of happy, here are my four picks this week.

A lovely little parcel from Silly Old Suitcase.  More on this later in the week.

 

Some cute keyrings made by the boys from an art and craft pack.  I love their big eyes and cheeky little faces.  Come to think of it, these are some of the things I love most about my little ones too.

The gorgeous red colour of the Virginia Creeper growing on either side of our front porch.  I love the lacy effect it creates as it weaves its way across the wall.

Doing a little weekend crafting.  A sort of work in progress.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and that you are all happy.

eleven

The lovely Ada from Vintage Sheet Addict tagged me a few days ago.  I am to answer her eleven questions and then I will cheat the rules a little bit.

Here are my answers to Ada's questions.

  

What's on your bedside table  My bedside table is in danger of collapse with the weight of books and magazines balancing on it.  I devour reading material of all descriptions.  New books are one of my favourite things.

What's on top of your wardrobe  A box containing my wedding dress.

Happiest memories  Our wedding day and the arrival of our little ones.  We celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary on Tuesday and our second little boy's birthday on Sunday so October is a special month for us.



Favourite toy as a child  A Speak and Spell electronic game and my Tiny Tears doll.  I still have both although Tiny Tears is in need of some new clothes.

Your perfect holiday destination  Canada, we spent our honeymoon there and we are always dreaming of returning one day.

Spring or autumn  Autumn is my favourite season, although spring comes a close second.

What's your motto, number one rule, you live your life by  Live well, laugh often and love much.

If you had a time machine, what year would you like to land in  Any year in the 1950's.  I love the style and design from this era and would love to travel there.

Roast dinner or fish and chips  A roast dinner most definitely, probably chicken or lamb with lovely gravy and a huge selection of vegetables. Delicious.

What makes you 'belly laugh'  Most often my family.  Mr F, the wee ones and my two very funny brothers. Once I start laughing I find it very difficult to stop. It's always the silliest things start me off.

Favourite outfit, past or present  I have a couple of black dresses.  They are my go-to outfits for nights out and special occasions.  They are so easy.  I don't really enjoy the planning an outfit process.  I love to get ready and go with minimum fuss.

Now, the rules of this tag state that, each tagged person must post eleven random facts about themselves, answer the eleven questions set by previous blogger, create eleven more questions and tag eleven more blogs, with less than two hundred followers.

Due to my current brain fog and time constraints I have simply answered Ada's questions.  I cannot get my brain in gear to come up with eleven random facts or eleven new questions.  Please accept my apologies.

What I will do though, is mention eleven lovely blogs that don't seem to have been tagged yet.  I hate that I can't include all the wonderful blogs I read. This is a great way to find some lovely new blogs though.

Binds you to me, Teacups and Bunting, The Blooming Times, Imogen Eve, Scraps of Us, Tales from a Happy House, The Custards, My Rainbow Vintage Home, Modflowers, Little Buckles, Little Sleep

If you would like to take part could you please answer Ada's questions as it would be great to find out some more about all you lovelies but I won't be in the least offended if you don't want to take part ... xx

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The photos were all taken by me on our honeymoon in Canada.

52 weeks of happy (1/52)

Lovely Jen at little birdie has decided to record four things that are making her happy each week for the next year, a project entitled 52 weeks of happy.

Jen is going to live by the following mantra,

'It's absolutely true, it's not about money or success, it's about how you look at life and then live it'.

Great idea, don't you think?

So I have decided to join her.  Each week coming up with four simple things which have made me happy. 

Watching the little ones enjoying an art and craft workshop at a festival in our local town.

A beautiful seedhead in our wildflower bank.  Nature is amazing.

Celebrating our second little man's fifth birthday with homemade chocolate cake.

Apple picking in our garden for the first time.  I'm hoping for a good crop every year. 

And another thing which brings me happiness.  Having all you lovelies stop by for a visit.  It makes me really happy that you pop by, read my ramblings and take the time to say hello.  Thank you and welcome to all you new readers.  It's lovely to see you here.

mollie makes: september

I know, I know.  I am more than a little late with this post but I am cross with myself.

I started out with very good intentions to make the little dog plushie designed by Tania Ho in September's Mollie Makes.

I selected my fabrics.  Some grey linen, check cotton and ditsy floral cotton. All salvaged from clothing destined for recycling.  Printed the full size templates and cut out the pieces.

I even went so far as to sew a good portion of the dog together, as evidenced below.  But sadly, I just couldn't be doing with this project.  It was a faff. So fiddly and not at all how I expected it to turn out.  So I threw it aside crossly.

  

Don't feel bad for the little half finished pooch though.  Despite having no ears, only one arm and some drawn on eyes and nose, because frankly he was really creepy without them my little fairy has adopted him as her own.  I'm glad he won't be lonely.

And to make up for my epic failure on this project I made a little ruffle necklace or collar inspired by the beautiful tulle one in issue 18.

So what do you think?  I informed Mr F it was a necklace and he looked at me like I had lost the plot. Sometimes he just doesn't get my creative genius.  I think I do see his point but it might be fun to give this one a go again.

Anyway, onwards and upwards.  There's always the October issue.

corners of my home

I love lighting the fire.  The cosiness is impossible to replicate.  Who doesn't appreciate the promise of toasty warm toes.

With the recent dip in temperatures, we lit the fire in our solid fuel cooker for the first time this autumn.

 

We love our cooker for its many talents,

creating a warm, cosy kitchen and home,

cooking a lovely roast dinner,

drying and airing mountains of laundry,

providing an ocean of piping hot water,

warming bottoms after a chilly interlude outside,

and baking bread, buns and cakes.

A few of these talents require a little help from me but our cooker is invaluable in the colder chilly months. We all look forward to firing it up and reaping the benefits and I am always tickled to watch family and friends who come to visit.  Gravitating to the cooker and perching happily on the handrail warming their derriere.

Wishing you all a warm and cosy autumn.

pretty little birdie

I adore birds and vintage fabric so when I spied this pretty little birdie, resistance was futile.

It arrived in the post, packaged beautifully in its own handmade bag.

I couldn't be more delighted.  The brooch is so, so beautiful.  I could tell from Sharon's photos on modflowers that they were very lovely but in reality they are so exquisite.  The little wooden bird is beautifully carved and the fabric button is the perfect partner.

I am in love.

goodbye september

October tomorrow.  Is it me or does September seem to have just flown by.  We have had a really busy month.

  

The start of the new school year, a broken arm, lovely family days out and returning to my upholstery course along with the everyday things which have been happening as well.

September has been fun but I am looking forward to October.

The school pickups will be in sync from now on.  I won't be constantly running in and out so I might have some chance of actually completing some crafting and cleaning and organising and decorating.  The list goes on and on.

I wanted to say a big thank you to all of you lovelies who sent my little man get well wishes when he broke his arm.  He is really well now.  His cast has been removed and he is 'all better', to quote the patient.

Our biggest problem now is trying to keep a very bouncy active little boy in a rather more subdued state for the next while to prevent further injury.  Not easy.

The photos are a little random.  They are of our vegetable plot this summer.  We were very pleased with our bounty considering neither of us has any real clue what we were doing.

We have wisely invested in some books to help us next year.

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My Mollie Makes project will appear here soon, a little behind schedule.

Wishing you all a lovely October.

spiced butternut squash and sweet potato soup

Autumn has arrived and there is a definite nip in the air.  Perfect weather for a warming bowl of soup.

We love this spiced butternut squash and sweet potato soup and it has already been enjoyed twice in the last week accompanied with some lovely soda bread.

It is my own recipe created from a bit of this and a bit of that.  The quantity below serves four but in my usual style I alter quantities to suit how many are eating.   I think soups are very forgiving, more liquid or vegetables can be added as needed.

spiced butternut squash and sweet potato soup

ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium butternut squash, chopped

3 medium sweet potatoes, chopped

half teaspoon each of turmeric, cumin, coriander and garam masala

ground black pepper

800ml of stock, chicken or vegetable

chives and creme fraiche to serve

method

Heat olive oil in large saucepan and add the onion and garlic

Cook gently until soft and not coloured 

Add all the spices and black pepper and cook for a minute or two

Add in the squash and sweet potato and allow to soften for 5 minutes

Pour in the stock and bring to the boil

Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through

Blend the soup until smooth

Add chopped chives and creme fraiche if liked

Serve with some lovely bread or scones.  This soup is delicious after a walk and is a great way to warm up when you come in from the cold.

You may have noticed I didn't include salt in the recipe.  I find the stock provides enough salt for us but feel free to add it or more or different spices. Soup is a great food, really anything goes when making it.

Hope you are all having a lovely week and that it isn't too wet where you are.

chair addiction

My name is Bee and I have a chair addiction.

I attended an upholstery class last year in my spare time, (spare time, what a laugh) and so can often be found staring longingly at chairs of all shapes and sizes.  More than a little weird, I know.

I have a penchant for armchairs and love so many different styles.  Although I have a particular love for chairs from the 1950's and 1960's and don't get me started on all the beautiful fabrics.

I particularly love the work of flourish and blume.  Well worth a look if you too like chairs and enjoy rescuing sad, unloved furniture.  Here is a little peep at a few of their transformations.

source: flourish and blume



source: flourish and blume

source: flourish and blume

Amazing, don't you think?

I am returning to the class this week and am pleased to meet up with friends who share my addiction and where I don't have to hide my effusive admiration for all manner of seating and I am bursting to get stuck into a new project.

I will keep you updated with my antics.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and that you are looking forward to autumn and all the season brings now that the equinox has passed.

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Just to let you know.  I have added a Bloglovin button to the sidebar for those of you who like to use it for your blog reading.

advent swap

Just a quickie.  I wanted to let you know about a swap I signed up to last week.  It had slipped my mind until just now. It might interest some of you lovelies.

The Advent Swap 2012 is being organised by Lynda from Hookin with LaaLaa.

The idea of the swap is that you buy, make, thrift or share twenty-four little gifts with your partner to open each day of advent until christmas and one larger present to open on christmas morning.

It sounds like a lot of fun.  You can still join in, the closing date is tomorrow, 20th September 2012.

That's all folks.

september weekend

This weekend, we enjoyed the sunny weather and went for a walk at our local national trust property Florence Court House and Gardens.

It's one of our all time favourite places to go.  The wee ones know every path, tree and stream in the grounds.

And they have an absolute ball running through the garden and forest walks.

We stopped off at a little stream to make a wish,

and said hello to the gargoyle.

After some time in the playground it was off home for tea, a bath and stories before bed.

Heaven, three little ones cuddled into bed.  Relaxed and happy for the week to come.

I have been getting crafty over the weekend too, adding a few more rounds to my granny square blanket. Very slowly I must admit owing to a sore elbow which is limiting me to short bursts now and again.  It's seriously messing up my hooking time.

Oh and on the subject of time, I can't quite believe how long it takes to complete a single round of my blanket at the minute.  I am in awe of the giant crochet throws and blankets I have been drooling over in blogland.

I've also started on my Mollie Makes project for this month and will reveal all here soon.

And I have been reading The Simple Things magazine.  It seems like my kind of magazine with some lovely crafts, food, homes and gardening articles.  It also has the bonus that Mr F has been enjoying it as well. There seems to be enough content to satisfy both genders.

I'm off now to catch up on a mountain of housework.  I never seem to get anything done at the weekend. Does anyone else have the same problem?

etsy love

A few of my rabbit themed etsy favourites,

scandinavian softie toy bunny from Jane Foster,

bunny and chick needle felting kit from Hanami Boutique,

and blue grey hares print from Dee Beale.

I have ordered the needle felting kit.  I had a go at needle felting at a workshop earlier this year and the bunny kit was too cute to resist.

Have any of you lovelies tried needlefelting?

a big thank you

The postman delivered a lovely parcel in the post yesterday afternoon.  I was a little puzzled as I couldn't remember ordering anything recently.  Then, I noticed the rosiebulldesigns sticker on the package.  How exciting.

I opened the parcel to find wrapped up in pink tissue paper the beautiful bag I won in Gina's recent giveaway.  I am winging a big thank you to you, Gina.  The bag is truly gorgeous and so beautifully made.

I am so thrilled that if you were here, Gina I would make you one of these.

A very decadent millefeuille pastry from Lorraine Pascale's recipe.  I know you're a fan.

Freestyling as usual, I altered the millefeuille slightly, making a vanilla flavoured cream and using some luscious strawberry jam and a few fresh strawberries between the layers.

So wicked, but what the heck, it's the weekend.

Wishing you all a lovely Friday and a wonderful weekend.

little monster

In light of current events and a certain someone's little accident, this bad mummy decided it was about time she made her littlest man his monster softie. He had waited long enough.  Over the summer, it had sadly gone on the long finger, in fact the longest finger there's ever been.

So to put things right and so that he had another friend, a monster of his own to give him get well hugs I made Mac.

A little buddy for Zog and a significantly lighter guilty conscience for me.

 I'm not sure what they're looking so puzzled about though. 

patchwork bunny rabbit

Meet Blossom the bunny, inspired by the front cover of Nuigurumi Style, a Japanese craft book.

My little fairy loves rabbits, a love born from watching the rabbits and hares which frequent our garden early in the morning.  So I decided to make her a little rabbit soft toy.

I like to think that she has an affinity with bunnies as she was an Easter baby. Anyway, she seems to quite like her new friend.

To make Blossom, I used the picture on the cover of Nuigurumi Style as inspiration.  I don't own a copy of the book but found it through Flickr.  I presume it is written in Japanese meaning it would be imposssible for me to understand.   I studied French and Spanish at school but strangely Japanese never made the curriculum.

 

Nuigurumi Style, a photo by nataliezdrieu on flickr.

I used some linen I have in my stash along with some lecien fabric scraps.  I pieced the scraps together in strips.  The back and front don't match but I don't think it really matters.  I like the way the coloured fabrics look like a little dress.

The picture on the front of the book shows little buttons added but as my fairy is only two I decided not to add any, although I think a collar of some sort may be pretty.  Maybe felt or ribbon.

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend and maybe a crafty Saturday.