Bits & pieces

Even though the sun is shining today, it's far too cold to make a start on the garden. My poor greenhouse needs a good scrub, the large drip trays that I stand the seedling pots in, need washing & the pots need filling with compost so I can start sowing the seeds. This year, however,  I shall have an apprentice - grandson no. 1a has his own little garden now & can't wait to get going on it :o) It's going to go in a corner of my veg cage so that it's safe from birds, cats, foxes & baby brother - grandson no. 1b, who, at 19 months, still thinks EVERYTHING should live in his mouth :o)

The budding gardener wants to grow *orange flowers, yellow flowers & lettix & martos for Mummy to have for her lunch* !! :o) So, I have marigold & sunflower seeds, plus the usual salad & veg. seeds, all just waiting for Spring to appear.

In the mean time, I've been catching up on my family tree, making cards & knitting.

This card was for my friend Kris - she's a keen gardener & I just loved this little mouse stamp & bought it with her card in mind. It's a stamp I'll use time & again though :o)

 I love this stamp & for this card,  I just wanted something plain & understated. All I did was stamp onto white cardstock with brown ink, tore around the edge & inked it to give it a border, stuck it on dark brown card & then used a slightly patterned co-ordinating card stock for the background.

 These bright'n'snazzy fingerless gloves are for charity, simply because . . .

THESE

were snaffled before I'd even finished them !! :o) There I was, minding my own business, knitting away, when Val (of Poppy's Place blog fame) asked if she could have them when I was done :o)

Now, compared to many people I know, I'm not a particularly good knitter - but I don't mind admitting, I was pretty chuffed that someone liked something I'd made enough to want to have it :o)   

So, what's on my needles at the moment ? A cable headband for charity & Christmas tree decorations :o)

Well, the years go by so quickly, don't they ? You have to be prepared for Christmas, cos even though there's always 12 months from one Christmas to the next, it does seem to suddenly arrive without so much as a by-your-leave, doesn't it ?! :o)

Keep warm, everyone & enjoy the snow if it arrives !! :o))

I can sing a rainbow . . .

Anyone who knows me well, knows I have a *thing* for bright stripes. I don't wear bright coloured clothes - if I wear navy blue I'm being daring :o) - but I do love to have bright, stripy extremities & so in the winter, my hands & feet are always  covered with stripy socks & gloves.

For a few years now, I've hankered after a particular *thing* & although the makers & manufacturers made spotty ones, flowery ones, plaid ones etc., they never seemed to make bright stripy ones. HOWEVER - my quest is now at an end & I am now the VERY proud owner of these:

Have you ever seen such perfect wellies before ?! I can't wait to get out in the garden, digging over the veg patch - if they don't brighten up the neighbours' day, it'll be a very sad thing :o))

I decided to have a look around the house to see what other strippity-strippage I have & here are some of my favourites.

Scarf, 2 pairs of gloves & an 'at :o) At least if I fall over in the snow, no matter which end is sticking up, I'll be found !! :o)

My daughter bought this for me from a stall at Broadstairs Folk Week a few years ago. She said as soon as she saw it, she thought *MUM !!*  She knows me SO well :o) 

My trusty stripy brolly on the right & the fabbest brolly 'at in the world. The 'at was a present from my friend Di, in New Zealand (Hi, Brum Chum !!) & I HAVE worn it. Not very good if there's a lot of wind though, & as I don't want to lose it, I only wear it when it's just raining.

All girls need a handbag she can carry everything & the

kitchen sink in & this one is mine :o)

Socks !!! All stripy, some with toes as well :o) Lovely !!

Even hobbies have a stripy something - this stripy box holds cardstock . . .

One of my many family tree note books & an accordian file . . .

My knitting bag, notions cases & notebook.

Even cooking & cleaning can be brightened up with a bit of strippage, you know . . .

Anything to jazz up the household chores is OK with me :o)

And lastly . . . .

Who wouldn't smile at legs & feet like mine ??!! :o))

Mind you, this is an old photo - I don't have that computer monitor any more !! :o)



Christmas is coming - AGAIN !!!

Any crafter will tell you that it's never too early to make Christmas cards or decorations, so that's what I've been doing this past few days.

I love, love love stamping. No, not with my foot, though I HAVE been known to do that on occasion, but stamping-with-ink-on-card stamping :o) I'm not brilliant at it,  but I think, with practice I'm getting better. I have a HUGE collection of stamps & I've decided that this year, I'm going to make full use of them & will try to use a stamp on every single card I make, be it for Christmas, birthday, new baby, anniversary or whatever.

All the images I've used on the following cards  are from Penny Black. I absolutely LOVE Penny Black stamps. I'd rather spend money on them than on food or clothes !! :o)

This image is stamped with black ink & then coloured with Pro-markers. I then used an embossing pen to pick out where I wanted to use snowflake tinsel embossing powder & then heat embossed it. A couple of nesties, a bit of ribbon, some mirror card put through the Cuttlebug & some designer paper later &  I had my first Christmas card for 2012 :o)

This image was just as above - stamped & coloured with Pro-markers. Again, the bug & nesties came into force, a bit of background paper & a ribbon & card no. 2 was ready :o)

I love this stamp - there's something a bit Victorian-Christmas about a lamp post !! :o)

I wanted to keep this card simple  so I just used 3 colours - red, black & a cinnamon colour for the mouse. To give it a bit of *splark*, I used snowflake tinsel embossing powder, a glittery ribbon & silver mirror card.

This card was an experiment for me :o)  Normally, I'd stamp onto card stock, cut it out & then stick it on a card. But, today, I decided to go for it - stamp straight onto a card & then watercolour it. I must say - I'm quite pleased with the results :o)   I will, however, own up to putting a sentiment on where I stamped a greeting, but it smudged :o) THAT'S why I don't normally stamp  directly on to a card :o)

My trusty old Cuttlebug really had an outing today :o) This card is stamped, watercoloured, cuttlebugged & nestabilitie-d to within an inch of its life :o) I think it's rather cute - I LOVE the snowman image.

Now, this one I'm not too sure of. I stamped onto a nesty shape, watercoloured it & then used an ink pad to colour the nesty edges. I then sort of scuffed the ink pad over the nesty shape & image, but I think I might have been just a bit too heavy handed.

As well as making cards, I've been knitting tree ornaments. One of my nephews  has just moved into a bedsit & has requested a few for his tree. NOT that he has a Christmas tree yet, but at least if I get them done, they'll be ready for him when he wants them. HOPEFULLY he'll have a tree come Christmas 2012 !! :o)

This is a very simple Christmas tree - just knit a diamond shape, fold it in half , sew the sides, make a brown trunk, add a few embellishments & hey presto :o) The pattern is by YarnMiracle.

I really like this bell - it's a Jean Greenhowe pattern & it only took about 3 hours in total to make, so an evening's knitting :o)

This little parcel I just sort of made up as I went along. I knitted a rectangle, folded it in half, put some carboard inside to stiffen it a bit, crocheted a ribbon, added a silver ribbon & snowflake & that was it.

I LOVE this Christmas pud. I made one for myself last year & so many people commented on it. It's so life like, but it's quite time consuming & fiddly. The pattern is by Frankie Brown, who, in my opinion, designs some of the best Christmas patterns going.

And lastly - well done if you've managed to read this far without losing the will to live !! - a Christmas stocking. It's about 4 inches tall so a little something can be put in it on the tree.

My daughter asked me to knit her some fingerless gloves in Hufflepuff  (Harry Potter) colours & as I'm only half way through the first glove, I think I'd better stop Christmas crafting for a while & get on with them. If I don't, it'll soon be too warm for her to wear them & somehow, I don't think she's willing to wait till NEXT winter for them :o))

Sunrise

This is the view I had of the sky from my back garden about 7:30am this morning.

Mother Nature really knows what she's about, doesn't she ?  No words needed - enjoy my silence while you can :o)



More knitting



Shaun is the middle one of 3 brothers. His older brother has 3 daughters, no sons. We have one daughter, no sons & his younger brother has one daughter, no sons. All those daughters have had sons

& as another one is expected next month, I knitted this little hoodie for him :o)

I also knitted him a little 'at . . .

Some warm, wooly socks . . .

And a pair of mitts.

I love making little 'ats & these 3 berets are for Kids Co., a charity in London.

This little jumper is also for Kids co. & I'm about to cast on a beanie type 'at for a teenage boy  :o)

New Year's Day at the Beach :o)

Today, I spent a lovely time on the beach with one of my favourite boys :o)  My other 2 favourite boys were unable to come with us because their wheels - mobility scooter & a buggy - weren't really up to chugging through wet sand :o) So, they waited for us at the top of the slipway while we went off adventuring.

Before we got to the slipway, we made our way down the chine.  

This is our first - & last - view of the beach.

We left Grandad & grandson 1b at the top & made our way down to the big puddle at the bottom :o)

Request no. one was *Grandma  - can we look for pirates & pirate ships, please ?*

Unfortunately, it was a case of *I see no ships*, pirate or otherwise :o)

Request no. 2 was *Can I throw sandballs at you, Grandma ? Can I ? Can I ? PLEEEASE ???* Sandballs ? I was then informed that as there was no snow, but plenty of sand, he could make sandballs & throw them :o) The imagination of a 3 year old, eh ?! :o)

I'll move this pretty shell before making a sandball :o)

There were a few people out & about, some bait digging, some kite surfing & a fair few dog walkers, but on the whole, we had the beach to ourselves.

*Are there 'cwabs' in here, Grandma ?*

*I'm going to splash, splash, splash in the wet sand *

It's a long walk  up the slipway to Grandad & baby brother, especially when you only have little legs.

Even deserted, I think the beach is lovely & just bursting with history. I remember when I was a child, we used to have a chalet here every summer. My Mum & Nan would bring us down & we'd spend the day in & out of the sea. We'd have to walk down the steps or the slope in the morning, but we'd be so tired out at the end of the day, we went back up in the lift. It was 2p for adults & 1p for children :o)  I feel so old remembering that !!! :o))

A view across Pegwell to Richborough as we walked home. I wonder how much longer Richborough Towers are going to remain ? There's been *talk* of them being pulled down, but then there's also *talk* of them staying because they're used as navigational aids & also, birds nest in & around them, so if they went, it'd cause quite an environmental impact.

Last view of the chine - we turned around & said goodbye :o)

We made our way home & after lunch, Grandad & grandson 1b went for a nap & grandson 1a & I cuddled up together & watched *Mary Poppins* again :o)  He nodded off after a while & stayed curled up on the sofa, under Grandad's blankie, till Mummy came.

A busy, but lovely New Year's Day :o)

Farewell 2011 - nearly :o)

Well, 2011 hasn't been my favourite year. I had high hopes for it after 2010 was so horrible, but alack & alas, 'twas not to be !! :o)) For 20 plus years, around the end of December, my MiL has always said  *the new year is going to be GOOD for you & Shaun*, but after so many disappointments, I told her I was going to gag her on Christmas Eve & not take it off till after Twelfth Night :o) Maybe if she kept quiet, things would be OK. However, I live in hopes, not miracles !!:o))

From redundancy to paralysis, from tribunal to family break ups, from hospital, doctor, clinic & nurses (110 appointments in total just in 2010) we've lurched from one disaster to another & it's only been the love & support from good friends & family that have saved me from going completely doo-lally & from doing my ravin' nana more than I have done :o) A good scream & a cry followed by a hug & a laugh & I'm soon back to dangerous, ready to take on whatever problem rears its ugly head next. But you know, it wouldn't 'alf be nice to have a year full of happy instead of a year full of stress & worry. Though, to be honest, I don't think I've been stressed enough - I'm still far too fat & it seems that most people say *ohhhhhh, the weight has FALLEN off me, I've been so stressed this week/month/year* :o) IT'S NOT FAIR !!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAH !!! :o)

But anyhoo, I digress :o) 2011 is nearly over & although I hate New Year - why celebrate a year that you know is going to be just as c**p as the one that's just gone - I'm going to TRY to be more positive in my outlook. Life has enjoyed kicking us when we're down so maybe it's about time we started kicking back. By *we*, I mean me - if Shaun tried kicking, he'd fall flat on his face. That's if he could even lift his foot to kick in the first place !! :o)

My New Year resolutions - I always try & fail, but this year, THIS YEAR,  . . . I will try harder :

The usual lose weight (ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz !!)

To cook from scratch more & not eat junk as often as I do

To do more in the garden - it's been so neglected :o( - especially in the veg patch

To walk more - me on Shanks's & 'imself on his mobility scooter. Seaside air is GOOD for you !!

To find at least one lost soul in my family tree, though more would be better :o)

To prepare for Christmas 2012 in plenty of time. This year has been so busy & chaotic, it got pushed aside until the last minute. Rush, rush, rush is SO not a good look on me !! :o)

So, there we have it. As I finish off the Christmas chocs & biscuits & prepare for the year to come, I say *Goodbye 2011 it's been great - NOT - & hello to 2012.*  I greet you with fear, trepidation & a sense of *uh-oh, here we go again !!*, but I'm smiling through gritted teeth as I do it !! :o)

To finish, here's a Christmas Kiss from me to you & I hope you had a fab time, surrounded by those you love. Here's to 2012 (gulp !!) & God Bless all who sail in her !! :o))

MWAH !!!! :o)