Meet Chester!

I have a new addition! Meet Chester :-)

My friend and I saw Chester in a pet shop in August last year. I hummed and haaed about buying him and so she bought him instead and I named him! He has been keeping her disabled elderly pig company for the last year and unfortunatley he recently died so Chester has finally come to live with me :-)

So why did I name him Chester?

Well with his back being checked like it is and resembling part of a chess board, he just had to be Chester really.

Isn't he wonderful? Well I think he is anyway and have been looking forward to him coming all week.

Yesterday I managed to get a batch of hearts made.

Which is just as well as I received a phone call this morning and I now have not one, but three fairs booked, the first being on 5th November so I am going to really have to get cracking with my sewing and crafting to get enough made. I have lots of ideas buzzing around in the scrambled brain of mine, just need to start formulating them now and producing the actual items.

My living room resembles a fabric warehouse - a rather untidy one at that!

Keeping warm

Do you remember this?

I started it Friday night while watching Breakfast at Tiffany's. I then did some more Saturday night when watching The Graduate

I finished it last night while sitting quietly by myself and hung it up on my wooden stand.

And wore it today when we went for a walk with the dogs.

Conkers!

The wonders of Autumn when the day is crisp and clear and the sun is shining! Washing has been out on the line, piggies have all been cleaned out, veges collected and we've been on our walk with the dogs.

My meagre collection of conkers has grown from three:

To many more. I don't think big dog and hubby quite understood little dog and my fascination with trying to find some conkers!

Success at a carboot!

Sitting having a cup of tea after lunch with my husband I suddenly remembered that it was the last local Saturday carboot sale for the year. I glanced at the time and realised it had been going for some time but convinced hubby to drop me and my trusty 'nana-at-the-shops' (NATS)trolley off at the carboot sale and told him I'd walk home. I was hoping to get something to display my crafts on if ever I have a stall, and for once I was duly rewarded! Perhaps it helped that it was the last outdoor sale of the season. People were packing up early as it was a bit chilly so when I saw something I'd been hunting for for the last couple of years I asked the seller if it was for sale and was told no. Well not happy with that I said are you sure? Fortunately I convinced them to sell!

In fact it was a very successfully afternoon all round. I came back laden!

My trolley full as well as the basket which was one of the bargains I managed to get. What on earth is sticking out of the basket? Believe me this wasn't the easiest to bring home, but fortunately NATS was on hand to bring it home .

A few minutes later the wooden arms and legs were reassembled, a few bags and hanging hearts placed on it and perfect! I've never seen one quite like this before and think it may be oak. To say this little beauty has left a big smile on my face is an understatement - funny the things that can give you a real lift of spirits!

I also got this cup stand which I will use to display decorations and hearts.

This super basket was on a stall that was also selling a load of material and the proceeds were going to cancer research. The basket is full of fabric, as is NATS and I have lots of black as well to make Peanut's Dementor outfit for the dressing up birthday party he is going to in a couple of weeks time. The basket will be perfect for displaying crafty items as well.

Oops, look what else slipped into the basket...I don't know how that happened?! I blame the collie.


Lastly a little sneak preview of something I started last night while watching Breakfast at Tiffanys.

Hope everyone is having a super weekend!

A meet up!

I was up bright and early this morning in order to get to St Albans by 10am for my meet up with SCC and blogger Lalabibaby. It was rather a cold morning and was raining when I left home so rather than my lovely warm 'new' pink coat I was wearing a waterproof which was nowhere near warm enough!

We arranged to meet outside the information centre in the town hall and as I was waiting I saw these two rather distinguished looking gentlemen and asked them if I could take a picture please. They dutifully obliged.

Of course I then completely forgot about my camera while out and that is the extent of my pictures!

We'd hoped to do have a jolly good look round the antique and charity shops but sadly they seemed rather thin on the ground and in one charity shop they had a coat similar to mine, although not as thick and nice as mine for £24.99!! So much for CS prices! We did have a couple of coffee and natter stops though, one when we first met, to warm ourselves up and another for lunch which was lovely.

I had wanted to make some little gifts to give Debbie, but unfortunately as my back and shoulders have been so bad this week I've been unable to get down to making anything so I took along a little pin cushion I'd made earlier from this bunch:

And finished a brooch for her last night. If I'd only realised though that her colour choice is more to the greens and browns! Still hopefully this is a nice little pick me up over the dreary winter.

In return Debbie gave me some lovely goodies as well. Isn't this great when we can share our love of handcrafts like this!

I've never had hearts made for me before and I really love the two I received today.

Christmassy heart, in just the perfect colours for me - blues!



A close up of the lovely gingerbreadman button.

This lovely embroidered pin cushion is really sweet as well and will be a constant companion I would imagine! Thank you so much Debbie for a lovely if rather cold day out. On my way home though I did discover a wonderful antique emporium that I'm sure would have been lovely to together - perhaps another time.

I stopped off down the road before coming home and was delighted to find this notebook to add to my collection -meets the criteria of the Ultimate Challenge and will be a useful addition.

I'm going to enjoy writing in this book.


Now for some slightly more randomness...

A lovely cross stitch cottage.

Albert Williams flower prints on my bathroom wall - collection growing! Funny how something as simple as some pictures on the wall make showering more pleasurable when you have pretties to look at.

Lastly my 'Autumn' cup and saucer as it truely feels like Autumn today!

What it is all about!

The other week Floss mentioned on her blog that her son needed a guitar tuner, and although she had found some - they were 'new'. I remembered I had a spare tuner 'hanging around' somewhere and promptly emailed to let her know that I would be happy to send it over to her as to me this very much fulfills part of the 'Utmost Challenge' in a special way. As I'd also just offered to make her a cushion cover as she had admired the one I made for Peanut's 13th Birthday it was the perfect opportunity to add the tuner to the parcel I was sending. What was even better was that I found it straight away! How's that for being organized?!

Now why didn't I iron this before I took photos? Shameful!

Unfortunately I didn't have any sail boat buttons left as I only had the two I put on the other cushion, but I did have a couple of lovely pale blue buttons that reminded me of the sea.

Floss had also admired the bags I had made, especially the blue one, and whilst I couldn't send her that one, I did have just enough material to make a special one for her.

Lined with a pocket.

Combination of blues in the panel on the back.

Florals on the front with contrasting pocket. I do hope she likes it.

As an extra little gift I also made her a blue brooch.

I'm hoping I'm correct in that she shares my love of the colour blue! Especially as I just inundated her with 'blues'!

I think blogging is a wonderful way to make new friendships and although I have been blogging privately since January 2007 I've never had a public blog until I started this one earlier this year and it has completely opened up a new world for me. This has been especially important to me this year partly due to my musical life coming to an abrupt standstill. Yes I am still teaching, but after playing each Monday and Tuesday, albeit for very short intervals with my students, I tend to suffer the consequences afterwards.

I am meeting my first blogging friend on Friday and am really looking forward to it. Next year when I go to New Zealand to visit my Mum and Dad (who has recently had to have radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer) I hope to also visit Jus who lives very near where I grew up as a child. Who knows who else I might have the privilege to meet one day?

Today it is rather overcast and I've been feeling rather 'flat' today. It was a real struggle to get out of bed this morning and the minute I did the pins and needles started in my neck/shoulder. It is particularly bad at the moment and is driving me to distraction. Perhaps I've just overdone things. However, needs must and I had to get up to get to the SEN review meeting for our son at his school this morning. It was a very good meeting though and we are very pleased with his attitude and the progress he is making, although his organisational skills are something to be desired and he needs to remember to actually hand his homework in once he has done it!

Anyway there is nothing better than receiving a lovely gift from one of those special blogging friends I've made. I did say to Floss I didn't expect anything in return as the pleasure was in the making and giving, but she insisted. So look what arrived today.

A lovely card, with some mother of pearl buttons attached on the other side - thank you for these - they will certainly be used in one crafty way or another!


Floss was very generous in sending me one of the two embroidered nightie that she bought the other week. Thank you so much for this, it will be treasured and having my first initial it is off course perfect!



Gorgeous crochet edges around the sleeves.

I popped out today to see how my bags etc... did at the fair the other day. Unfortunately none sold. I do think that perhaps the price is a little high, but it is difficult to get the price right, especially when you are having to make enough for two parties, but as it is early days yet it is worth persevering. They are being taken to another fair tomorrow where hopefully they will do better.

I treated myself to a cup of tea and a custard pastry while out and popped into the local charity shops. I'm starting to feel slightly guilty at even looking in charity shops now I am on the Utmost Challenge but I am allowed to purchase secondhand and am hopefully contributing to those in need. It is however making me think much more about what is just a whim and what is much more useful.

However, although we don't 'need' pillowcases as such, these were too good to pass up.

I would imagine they were a wedding present or something that was never used. I think they are gorgeous and they will be used on our bed, that is for sure.

I've shown them to my husband and he thinks they are lovely as well.

I've been wearing my lovely pink coat the last few days and am thrilled with it. Definitely a worthwhile purchase. In the winter I am very much a hat a scarf wearer as well - I really don't enjoy being cold so do like to wrap up warm.

This pink scarf is lovely and goes very well (in my opinion) with my coat. It is so soft and I think will be lovely to wear.

I also spotted a blue one, and as readers may be starting to be aware, I do like blue. I think this also goes well with my coat. At £1 each in one of the CS, I thought I could also get away with these purchases.

A bit of this and a bit of that

I was rather pleased with myself this morning as I got up bright and early - well bright and early for me as I have really been struggling of late to get up in the mornings, with the exception being Tuesdays as I have to been in at work ready to start at 8am! So taking advantage of the wonderful weather we had again I managed to get a couple of loads of washing on the line and dried.

I've done some pottering and some experimenting with patterns today from my 'Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle' book. I made the teddy and a cone - the cone may be slightly promising but the teddy was just too..., well just not right for my liking, so I don't think I will be making him again.

I then got distracted while looking for some buttons and discovered I had rather a lot of these:

Thimbles!

So why didn't I use one when I was making this little fellow:

It would have saved the blood stains on his back...from where I pricked my finger with the needle and didn't realise I was bleeding!

This rather cute pattern I found today via Emily Pickles blog from Bit of a Whimsy Dolls which sells patterns for quite a collection of different stuffed toys, but of course it was the guinea pig that took my eye! I can see me making some more of these for friends for Christmas!

I started making a granny squares blanket some time ago, but then decided I didn't want the colours in my bedroom after all so it ground to a halt. However, on hearing my MIL saying how lovely Peanut's blanket was I thought why not finish this one as a lap blanket for her for Christmas. I hate the joining so I can see this taking quite a while - hence preparing now! Once joined I will crochet a border and it should be just right for her to use in the evenings.

On another note, I would like to thank all my readers for the lovely comments and encouragement they have been giving me - it means a lot :-)