Nasty Bug & Organised Bug

Ever since half-term began I've been fighting off the all over achey, coldy, lurgy thing. Yesterday we had a home day and as Mr Bun chose to work from home that day, it meant all meals were sorted by him and I could just be (apart from attacking all the nasty horrible ironing). At first I did inanely dull, but low energy stuff like organising the tangled web of coloured threads in my sewing tin.

Now these last few threads have been sorted I do look at them and think how nice they look - all tidy and ready. That's just not me really though, so I know there will be new threads that will make their own tangle soon.

Then I curled up to watch a movie with the Bun's who were having a cosy day too (they now have the lurgy aswell). I've been wanting to make these hearts for a while now. I can see a garland with Bobo Bun spelt out to hang over my stall. Then of course there are two girls who have been asking ever so nicely. I'm not sure I really like the colours, but it was a case of using up the cotton I have left.

While Mr Bun whipped up a tasty casserole for our evening meal, I pulled out last years stockings. Now the more I look at them I think I like them, but I don't go mad about them. I definately need to change the designs somewhat and move on to something else. The main problem is I don't know what as yet and there's oh - only four weeks before the next fair. Tons of time.

One year soon I must get my head around christmas in the summer as I prefer to be making the Bun's their presents now. How wonderful that would be to know all stock was made and lined up ready to go.


Now I can hear the kettle calling me to make hot chocolates all round., then I think a bit more flaking on the sofa is required.

Hope you've escaped the nasties.

Making Our Own Sunshine Sparkle

Summer briefly came back yesterday, but today it was drizzly and gloomy so we needed lots of colour, comfort, and fun.

I collected together Friday's CS treasure and the crafty goodies that I got from the wool shop to inspire me to get working.

Mid morning, I braved the rain and dashed down to the henhouse to feed the ladies. Only two eggs today. One of such thunderous proportions , beside a normal one.

Later we played Monopoly, which was great until it all got a bit nasty with the jelly babies. In the end we ate them and put up a few more hotels.

The Bun's and I also made some glasses (inspired by miss frugality) and gave Alfie Blue the spare pair. He didn't even bother waking up to have a look.

Then to really beat the gloom we made the cottage sparkle. The woodburner and candles were lit and the fairy lights came on here ...

... here ...


... and here.


A perfect day to beat all the wet gloom outside.

A hook and a spot of weather

Last night I gathered together some more converts to hooking. We met at the church which is in the next village to mine. It has a great room attached to the side which was perfect except for one thing.

I arrived early with good intentions to walk briskly through the graveyard, put all the lights on and get the room set up.
Instead. Mmmm - what did brave me do instead? I looked through the darkness (remember this is the countryside so no lights, just black and yet more black) and considered the stone angels lit up from underneath while the rain poured down around me and thought the car looked a good place to wait for the others to arrive.

So here we are - all cosied up with cake, flapjacks and coffee to keep us going. Soon we will be joined by a few more novice hookers who are already signed up. For now four was the perfect number and gave me the chance to give everyone the time they needed.

Strange angle for this one - a bit tipping off to one side.

After all the rain we had yesterday, we woke to the most fabulous day. Even though we were running a wee bit late on our drive to school, I had to stop to take these photos as the mist looked so beautiful with the sun breaking through.

Right now off to do some nice things for the day (making) and not so nice things (paperwork and bills). Hope your day has more nice things in it than not so nice.

Some flowers, an egg and a slice of cake.

Thank heavens for old ladies who are still selling Dahlias

and Pinks from their doorsteps to add a splash of bright summer colour to the grey skies.

Oh and the egg. Well I found that one in the garden laid in one of the little hidey holes the ladies use. We don't know its age or vintage as yet. Even though it doesn't float in water, I still don't trust it completely. So it sits alone until we bravely crack it open.

These petally explosions inspired to me to get on with making up some more flowery hair bobbles and clips. Oh and the cake was essential to give me the energy for all that snip snip snipping of felt.

A felty flower border soon started to spring up.

Two have already been set aside for school tomorrow. Blue and Orange for Eldest Bun and ...

... red and minty green for Little Bun beside the Dahlia's that got me started in the first place.

Special Things

My darling Eldest Bun was off school on Friday and still no improvement today so we're off to the doctor's later this morning. Now when you're nine and feel a bit low there are things that a mummy can do to make you feel just that little bit better. A bowl of sweeties for me and a bowl of sweeties for you. Both eaten while we had a lovely cuddly. That's a good start.

Next up to get started on her wristwarmers. We chose these two zingy shades of Sirdar Sublime at the wool shop last week while we were waiting for Little Bun to finish drama club. I followed the pattern in Hip Knits, except I used DK rather than 4ply. I was going to add flowers to the wrist, but changed my mind as I thought a butterfly landing on her wrist would be just perfect. I might put a flower on the other one. The one that hasn't been made yet.

I also picked up these fabulous floral prints from our quilting shop. No plans for them, they simply needed to come home with me.

Now on Friday we needed a hot water bottle and I realised we needed a cover. Something pretty for a little girl. Blue rubber is fine for Mr Bun, but not for a girl Bun. Eldest Bun chose the top smaller floral print and I picked some vintage sheeting for the lining.

I copied the pattern from CK's latest book on to some baking paper and off I went snip snipping away.

I've left the backing slightly bigger so that it won't pull up too much when I sew through the layers. Now I've marked up the lines for the running stitch I'd better hurry up and finish it so it can be cuddled in bed tonight.

Next I really better start thinking christmas making as there are about four fairs coming up over the next month or so.

Pick 'n' Mix

If you pop on over to Pick 'n' Mix Makers Market blog you'll see some of the makers who will be there on December 12.

We are featuring each makers work so you can get a sneak preview of how exciting this market promises to be.

We are very busy behind the scenes still, but often meetings take place over cake and lunch so we're both very happy.

Tins & Things

Last Wednesday the carboot field was flooded. I arrived full of anticipation and with a pocketful of pennies and then had to drive on by. Luckily today it was nice and dry and there were a few treasures still to be found.

I couldn't believe my luck when I spotted these two floral tins. The round one is a Cadbury's biscuit tin and the large square one is Huntley & Palmer's. For a serious tin addict, I'd say they're amongst the best I've found so far.

I couldn't say exactly why I liked this Firth of Clyde toffee tin, I just did. Some things you know why you like and others, you just know you want to take home with you. I felt quite sad when I opened it up as it has carefully rolled bundles of garden twine inside. When Mr Bun looked inside he felt the same way. We both thought of the person who had saved those useful things in their toffee tin. Here we are doing exactly the same with our tins. Some have buttons, some beads and others bits of this and bits of that.

On the same stall as the sailing tin, I found these Rosa pink dishes. I've wanted some shallow bowls for a while now as the soup season is upon us. Now how lovely to have some in a delicate shade of pink.

The other thing that has been on my mental list for a while now has been a shelf to go over my patchy armchair. Not overly exciting I know, but I found just the shelf today, albeit in nasty yellow pine. Being impatient I wanted to put it up straight away, so I got my trusty drill out and set to. Mr Bun bought it for me an age ago as he hates hearing the letters D.I.Y and leaves it to me to bodge up our walls. So a few holes later, a lot of dust and a lick of paint and we have one slowly drying shelf up.

By this evening it was all dry, so I tried the minimal shelf look out. Since looking at this I've filled it with more stuff. I fail miserably with minimal.

Memory Quilt

I've finally found out how to make a mosaic. Or is it that I actually had a look at my photo editor for the first time. I've wanted to make one of these for a while now so that's quite a bit of excitement for a Monday morning. Woohoo.

If you look closely at the pictures you can see I finished Little Bun's memory quilt. I put the last stitch in ten minutes before I was being picked up by friends to go out. The minute it was finished Little Bun was snuggled under it and Eldest Bun was asking when I was starting on hers.

I've really enjoyed making this. I didn't follow a pattern for it. Instead I found out the basics of quilt making and then pulled together the type of design I wanted from various quilts I had seen. I'd seen this fabric strip with a contrasting running stitch on a cushion in a magazine ages ago. This red spot strip is the part that pulls it all together for me. I edged it with some white sheeting so that it would stand out more.

I chose to tie the layers together with red thread as the thought of machine quilting all my work and risking getting it wrong didn't appeal.

An old sheet of the Bun's was the perfect size for the backing and so soft as it's been washed lots of times. I was really pleased I had half a metre of this blue spot with roses fabric for the binding as it ties in the main colours perfectly. You can probably see I machine stitched the two layers together just under the red spot strip. I didn't like how that part of the quilt flapped apart so it needed holding down a bit. Really it was a design that took shape as it was being made. Pretty much my favourite way of working.

Now the memory quilt is on Little Bun's bed with some of her cuddly friends. I love how it makes the bed look even more cosy.

Around the stitchy part of Saturday we all went for a walk to collect autumn stuff. My pink Boots have come out of the cupboard again.


The Bun's filled up their baskets with lots of goodies and then we ran back with hungry tummies. I'd made Butternut Squash soup again (with quite a lot of chillies this time - oooooo) and choccolatty Brownies for afters.

I love autumn. Comforting food, family walks and time to snuggle up and sew. Perfect.

Cosy & Cakey

The roadside flowers have gone now and so I treated myself to these pretty pink roses yesterday. I love paint dipped roses, expecially in my blue glass jug. They make me feel happy to look at them.

I've been feeling in the need of comfort this week as I'm achey. I gave myself a couple of days off from work and so making and baking has been perfect for my mood. The Bun's now love cooking and helping to choose and make meals. Eldest Bun chose last nights meal of pasta pie (lasagne) and helped with the chopping and stirring business. Little Bun wanted to make a cake.

Jammy middle, pink icing topping, covered in 100's and 1,000's and words. She took ages picking out just the right letters.


Those words are perfect and make me smile a happy cakey cake smile.


After tea we lit Nina's candle (all the chocolate has been eaten and enjoyed).

Then we settled down for a snuggle. I'd picked up a couple of books for me when we went to the library after school and was in heaven with this Hip Knits book. I want this scarf badly. I might make it for Eldest Bun and then ask nicely if I can borrow it. There are also - I can't believe I'm about to say this - ankle warmers in there. They look great over the pink converse pumps with skinny jeans (not for me though - for Eldest Bun of course). I wore the dodgy things first time round in the 80's when Irene Kara wowed us all with Fame. Now that's been re-made so I guess she'll be needing a pair, the time has come for cosy ankles.

Then I picked up my copy of Handmade and before I knew it I'd started on a scarf for Little Bun to cheer up her grey winter coat. I think a red beret to match and she will be very cosy indeed.


Before I go to warm up Bertie's delicious Butternut Squash Soup for the Bun's tea, I thought you might like to see that I have sewn all the strips together and on the memory quilt. They are now all in one piece wating for the sides to be added. I'm loving patchwork, didn't like the cutting bit, but watching it all grow and come together, I love that.