I Can Fly

With the wheels a whirring to organise this years Pick 'n' Mix Makers Markets, my heads been buzzing with all sorts of ideas. Next up on my list of to do's was postcard and poster designs. I knew exactly what I wanted, but failed at the first hurdle of techie wizardy to make my designs become real things. Then I thought of the fabulous Jane of Teawagontales who had mentioned her graphics background. I also knew she liked a lot of the same stuff as me, so I reckoned she'd get exactly what I was after.  I was thrilled when she said she'd love to design the cards for me.

When I got home tonight the designs we'd discussed were there and waiting for me to download. I can't tell you how excited I was. I'm only going to show you the summer one for now, even though the christmas design will be going on the back of the postcards.
Are you ready?

Isn't it gorgeous. I'm over the moon. I told Jane I had in my head the pictures from a story I loved when I was little of a girl who mimicks chickens, fish and owls. I couldn't find my book and didn't know who the artist was. The very next day she'd come up with the exact book I was thinking of.  I'd loved Mary Blair's illustrations for I Can Fly and now love Jane's interpretation. Not only that, but Jane has exactly captured what I had in my head for the christmas postcards and I love them too. 

Now if it wasn't for this community I wouldn't get to know about the amazing talented people out there and I'd miss out on the collaboration and sharing of our skills.

It's Really Quite Simple

It doesn't take a lot to make me happy, simple pleasures for me. That's not to say something a bit more luxurious wouldn't go down well too.

I love a rummage through others cast offs. So I was really pleased when I had enough time for a quick dash round some charity shops on the way to a meeting yesterday. When I saw this vase and the price on it I already had it marked up and on my to be sold pile before I got to the till. 

The only problem is I love blue glass and I've already imagined how gorgeous yellow and orange aruncula's will look it. That's back in the staying put pile then.

In the next shop I found these yellow Meakin and Johnson Brothers dishes. Bitterly cold icy wind and all these bright colours to cheer me up. They're staying too.

I also popped in these red spot bun cases as iced fairy cakes are an essential part of our weekend. 

Today I found these four beauties waiting in the hen house. No one had remembered to collect them yesterday so double the pleasure today. If you have hens you'll know what I'm talking about when I say I feel excited each time I collect another egg and plan the baking I'll do with it. Ten eggs in the basket, so dippy eggs for breakfast or pancakes followed by lots of fairy cakes through the day, perfect.

This weekend I'll be finishing off my round and round cushions with flowers, pads and fabric backs.  I did make this knicker pink and poppy red one to sell, but ... here's the thing. I noticed how it looked just right by the other cushions and then that went into the staying pile. 

Now if I can also ignore the less than simple pleasure of the huge heap of ironing, finishing my tax return and cleaning out the animals I might be able to play with these fabrics I've got plans for. 

Let's hope so. I always start off by getting the nasty jobs out of the way and then run out of time for the lovely pleasures. Tommorow I must be strong and remember it's quite simple really to ignore all that other stuff.

Wishing you all a very lovely weekend of simply doing what you fancy.

I like burying my head in sand

(added after I posted this) I need to add Two things. One is a Big  Big Thankyou for all your kindnesses and the other one is a question I have. Where exactly is the hyacinth picture as I can't see one anywhere on my post? Glad you liked it all the same.

My head caved in to a horrible migraine on Saturday afternoon. I know I don't drink enough water, stay up until the wee hours too often making things and then there's the matter of the loss of my job at the end of March. I've always known it was coming as I signed a contract until then, but the reality of it feels very different now we're near the end of a job I love and am good at. Government funding is at the heart of this so I'm chasing jobs where the funding is.

Before that nasty headache turned up I had a lovely morning finishing up the front of a round and round cushion and chatting with my lovelies. No point worrying all the time is there.

 

I was also trying to put off filling in my tax return and crochet seemed just the distraction needed. Last minute again as usual.

I keep some of my paperwork in this gorgeous felted envelope. Somehow it makes the very dull much more bearable. All empty now and totted up in the right columns.

When you think of a tax form alone, it's no wonder that headache turned up. To make me feel brighter on Sunday Mr Bun and the Buns brought me these sweet pink rosebuds.

Then later off we went for lunch with my folks to celebrate their 47 years of marriage. Very soon we'll hit 10 years, quite measly in comparison.

Where's It Gone?

Spring is definately on it's way as I'm trying to have a clear out, find stuff I've lost and perhaps even finish some of the jobs I started too too long ago. It won't  all happen I know, but I'm giving it a go.

I'm desperate to find a book I've lost. A special childhood book and needed for some of the designs in it. I re-discovered this super cute vintage pattern  when I was looking instead. A friend gave it to me years ago. I really think he should come to life one day soon. I'll ponder how for a while. I certainly know the Bun's would love a Fluffy friend.

I really hope I find that book soon as I've got it into my head that there's a picture in there that I can't work without. I've booked the first Pick 'n' Mix Makers Market of the year, for Saturday 11th June and I have an image in my head for the postcards. Annoyingly it's all in that darned book I can't find.

This time Teena won't be involved in the running of the event as she has other demands upon her time. Mr Bun will be helping me as always and two friends are helping enormously with the design of postcards and PR. It all promises to be very exciting. I already have the bookings of a few makers and will be letting you know who's in the mix this time very soon.

Alongside inviting makers to the market, I'm also busy making for the markets I'm booked into. First one up is Little Vintage Lover in Blakeney on 13th February. I'm really looking forward to this one, they're always great fun and I never come away without a treasure or two.

We Know How to Live

An old fashioned jolly was needed this weekend, so we planned a family birthday tea party, just without the birthday.

We had balloons, played pass the parcel, bingo with prizes and pin the tail on the donkey. It was a tasty tea - my favourite cheese and pineapple on sticks washed down with dolly mixtures. I love party teas and how cakes and sandwiches can all be eaten at the same time. I failed miserably to get the rabbit jelly out whole. It just plopped in a mess on the plate.  Little Bun named it roadkill jelly,  it tasted good all the same.

Now I'm slightly more bendy, today had to be a catch up on jobs that needed bendiness. I banished those grey hairs and cleaned out the hens and rabbits who were desperate for fresh straw and cuddles. 

This evenings treat (apart from a very lovely Rufus Sewell in Zen and a Creme Egg) has been a flick through The Gentle Art of Quiltmaking by Jane Brocket. I'd not found a quilt book that worked for me before I got this. I really needed (or was it just wanted) a quilt book so I could work out how to do it all properly. Not just carry on in my usual get in there and have a go way. I've already picked up quite a few good tips and have plans a buzzing to cover our beds with glorious things. 

Now talking of bed I think that's where I should be if I'm to keep my promise not to oversleep for a change. I really am not an early morning girl.

I've been Hexed

What a to do. Here I am stuck at home with a creaky (and to be honest very painful back). I'm pretty much resigned to sitting still with my making stuff and my laptop which is hard work I know. On one of my virtual wanders I stopped by Teawagontales and before I knew it I'd popped some fabric into my pretend basket. It came this morning (with a couple of extra bits kindly popped in by Jane) and I love it.

Before I show you what I've been up to from the comfort of the sofa I really must say a BIG Thankyou for all your kind well wishes for my silly old back. I really appreciate it you know. 

Now on one of my other virtual wanderings I visited Sew Mama Sew. I found all buttoned up's blog with a great idea for making beautiful patches for jeans. I've never made patchy hexagons before, frankly it's never really interested me. It looks too fiddly and time consuming.

Stuck here on the sofa I reckoned time was on my side at the moment so I decided to give it a go. It took me an age to make the paper hexagons so they'd all fit neatly together.

Once that was done it was plain sailing - choosing fabric (a mixture of 30's feedsack, 60's kitchen apron and a piece of 40's dress fabric) and cutting around all my wee hexes.

This is the pair of jeans that was ready to be beautified. I've liked the rip, but when I put my foot through it the other day it became a very big rip and needed doctoring.

I patiently tacked my seven hexes to the paper (the patience needed to make a whole quilt I've decided is beyond my level of staying with a project). Once that was done I pieced the whole patch together with the smallest of stitches. After all this neat and patient stuff I really enjoyed sewing up the rip quickly, any old how.

Now my jeans were ready to be beautified. All in all it took me about three hours to make this patch. Normally I wouldn't be bothered, but I'm so glad I did as I really enjoyed this wee project and making small fairy stitches.

 

Eldest Bun took this picture of me leaning against the wall for support. Despite my instructions for non hazy shots, it is, but you get the idea I'm sure. So warm attractive knees, not bad for a day on the sofa.

Lots more sofa projects to be getting on with another day. I seem to be taking root in the sitting room. Hope no one falls over my baskets and hurts themselves.

Something Snapped

My lunchbox has stayed on top of the cupboard today. Mr Bun always packs my lunch for me on work days. Today was a work day, but my lunchbox and I didn't leave home. Yesterday something went snap with my back and I can barely walk, let alone drive. So I had to call in sick, which wasn't great for all the work I'm supposed to do, but it turned out fine and dandy for my pile of knitting and crochet.

I propped myself up with plenty of cushions and cosied under a blanket. Clicked on Murder on the Orient Express on the iplayer and settled down to make the sleeves for Eldest Bun's jumper. I'm determined to finish it before the winter's over.

I also had all my pencils and books handy so I could jot down some ideas and check patterns.

I'm walking like a duck with constipation (how I imagine one would walk I guess) so it was pretty difficult to get about today. Lovely then to have all that knitting time and not be able to do anything else for a change.

Hope I get nursed properly this evening as I feel the need for Hot Chocolate and eating cosy by the fire.

Making our Year

My list of possible makes is already growing and we're only one week in to 2011. Earlier this week I got the urge to make something full of colour. After a few days thinking, I finally settled on this children's scarf (which will be mine for sharing with the kiddies, not the other way round).

It's been very addictive and has taken over from the two jumpers I should be finishing, the socks I promised Mr Bun and an order or two. I get too easily seduced by trying out a new pattern and working with different colours.  I've been up way past midnight hooking away so I'm feeling a bit bleary eyed today.

There is one other project I'm loving at the moment and that's this snood for my mum. I made Eldest Bun a seagreen one, as requested, for Christmas and then my mum hinted that she'd like one too. While I worked a few rounds on this last night Mr Bun read The Dead to us, his favourite story from Joyce's Dubliners. He likes to read it on Epiphany. It's a very important book for various reasons, two  reasons being our girls who have one of their two middle names taken from the stories. Eldest Bun is Eveline Raine and Little Bun is Berry Araby. Their other middle names are linked to their birth. Raine as there was an almightly storm when Eldest was born and Berry for Littlest as she was an 11lb dark haired bundle when she arrived.

Now she is a much bigger girl she has her own babies to look after. Her most loved is Kitty (in the middle). I have been given a long list of clothing requests for Kitty. For christmas I knitted her a purple cardigan to match the one wrapped up with it for Little Bun. I think she looks beautiful besides Violet and Jemima.

Today was a non-working day so I had a vague plan to start cutting squares for Eldest Bun's memory quilt. Then Little Bun got invited to dinner this evening with her very best friend and his family for his birthday. She asked me to make him a pencil case as he loved hers so much. Halfway through I ran out of floss and then realised I didn't have a zip so it all took more than the hour I thought it would. Pah. Finally it was finished and filled with Dr Who bits and bobs before a quick wrap up.

Now it's very quiet here this evening as Eldest Bun is out too at a sleepover, I think I need to pour us both a glass of wine and start the weekend here before Little Bun returns.

Normal Service Resumed

After weeks of shedding their feathers and looking pretty rank, the ladies have got back into full scale egg production again. Hooray I say. Weeks of buying shop bought eggs for the first time in two years just wasn't the same. Now we're back to sunshine yellow yolks and that good feeling that comes from baking with your own hens eggs. I can forgive them for pooing everywhere and trashing the garden if they pay for their destruction in eggs.

 

Just as the hens have got their groove back it seems we're all supposed to do so too. We don't really want to though. Mr Bun went back to work yesterday and said he sulked most of the morning as he knew what fun we were having at home.

 

Our mission for the day was to eat lots and lots of cake, especially these lovely choccy ones made by Eldest Bun. Then I had to make up a couple of pencil cases. The Buns chose the fabric when we were christmas shopping. A bright spark, who should have known better, said let's make pencil cases in the holidays. Needless to say we ran out of time and so I ended up making them on the last day so they could take them to school today. No photos I'm afraid as I finished them later on and they were packed into schoolbags straightaway.

Three back to normal service and the house is very quiet. today I have jobs though. We always follow the twelve days of christmas and take our decorations down at the latest moment on the 6th. This year I've got to do it all today as I'm back at work tommorow. We've loved our tree this year. The Bun's did a minutes silence for it yesterday with me counting to sixty loudly. Little Bun asked if I would cry when I took the decorations off. Does she just imagine or perhaps she actually knows her mummy is a bit touched in the head. So I've cut a slice of my mum's christmas cake to drink with my coffee while I get on with it. Wish me luck for all the cleaning up afterwards.

And on we go to another adventure

I had a look back over 2010 in my pictures and ended up pasting more than I'd intended into a collage. Like virtual glitter and glue it gets very addictive.

So I've stuck together some of the seasonal flowers which help to inspire the colours and joy I find in making stuff. Already my fingers are itching with new ideas and my head is wondering how I'll find the time.Well it seems there's a whole new year ahead to squash it into - so that's ok then.

 

 

Best of all there are the brief glimpses of parts of our year which mark the change in seasons. All to be looked forward to once again along with all the new adventures. 

All very exciting wondering what this year will bring. Fingers crossed they're all good things. 

As for me I'm about to enter into my third year of this blogging lark. Two years ago I started writing and taking pictures. So much has grown out of it. Many times I've questioned why I do it, but the bottomline is it doesn't need too much analysis (coming from someone who over analyses you understand) I just enjoy doing it. Seems a pretty good reason to keep on doing it then I guess.

Happy New Year one and all. Thank you so much for reading, following and leaving your lovely comments. I'm slowly popping around to say hello.