Plastic Bob

Before I start rambling on, I thought I'd better show you my all done and dusted Patchy Cushions.

I love the fabrics in these so much. I could sit and look and then look some more just to get my happy fix for the day. I'll be popping these ones in my etsy shop in the next few days, but I'll definately be making some for us too.

On Saturday Miss Rosey and I set off to try out a new market. She's never come with me before and was really looking forward to it.

The church hall looked great when we arrived, all decked out with bunting. There were a few stalls that caught my eye too for a spot of shopping later on.

Through the day I caught up with a few friends who stopped by and chatted with a few more lovely people who read this here stuff and know me from Pick 'n' Mix Makers Market. 

One very lovely lady bought these tasty cupcakes for Rosey and I as she enjoys reading Bobo Bun so much. Thanks so much Patricia, we really enjoyed munching them, Rosey picked the windmill one.

I sold a few bits, but on the whole it was a slow day. I wasn't disappointed though as I hadn't gone with any expectations and I had a lovely day chatting with Rosey and meeting other lovely people. I'm sure this sounds a bit odd as from a selling point of view the whole reason I bother going to markets is to make a profit. Well I wanted to see what it was all about and as the pitches were so reasonable I knew it was an ok gamble to go and try it out.

I've also had the necessary kick up the bum to get making new stock, so now I just need another kick to get me adding it to my etsy store tommorow. 

We did make sure we came home with a few goodies too. There were a couple of stalls selling some kitsch bits and bobs that really appealed to me. I'm annoyed I didn't get the carousel horse ring - ho hum, but I did get Bob the Elephant (for me), the musical cat for Miss Rosey and ...

Miss Rosey chose the wee white bear for Little Bun. 

I added a few buttons and plastic stuff to my bag too. I'm not sure what I'll do with them, but I think it'll involve a bit of glue.

Our last buys were these Japanese notebooks. One for each of us.

Next Saturday there'll be the Golden Triangle Makers Market in the same hall. A friend of mine has a stall there so we'll pop along and check it out as I think it'll be a good one.

Thanks Lily, Heather and Annie (and anyone else if I've forgotten you) for your technical advice. I've not had a chance to give it a go, but I will very soon so fingers crossed it works. 

Queenie's Waving

On the way home from our favourite farm on Tuesday we stopped off for a wander around a small town. In a shop window were a row of Queenie's, all slowly waving with glazed expressions. Being suckers for plastic stuff that does nothing more than make us laugh meant we needed one so we rushed in to bag our own Queenie. Now she sits on our windowsill watching and waving while we do kitchen stuff. Our favourite plastic friend was a chubby grinning chinese boy who sat astride a pink dolphin and spun from the ceiling playing plinky music. He fell to pieces a long while back now and I still miss him.

The day after Queenie came to visit, our heating packed up. We've an old knackered Rayburn that heats the house and water, well used to. After it flooded the kitchen with water and then we had an man over who knows about this stuff, it turns out a big thing broke in the Rayburn. Now we've no heating until we magic £3,000 up. I've been busy searching through old coat pockets for a few pennies today, but nothing's turned up as yet. Thank goodness for the woodburner, hot water bottles and the fact it's not the middle of winter.

We'd planned a tramp up to London to visit the V & A today, but had to hang around for another heating man instead. It meant I could sneak a spot more making time in. The Bun's played with Mr Bun and then we all popped out for pizza as I've been pretty rubbish at filling the cupboards with food this week.

This morning Mr Postie delivered a parcel with some fabric I've been searching for high and low. At the moment I'm just loving looking at it and seeing it side by side with some of my other fabrics. I think it'll be finding its way into some bunting and maybe some patchy pillowslips. 

Most of my favourite fabrics for patching have left the shelves and ended up in this basket. There's no room left in here so I've started another bag to keep it company.

Now, as I'll be at the Norwich Makers Market on Saturday (St Thomas' Church, Earlham Road 11 - 4 if you're around these here parts) I've been trying to get a few more new pieces made.

I've patched together a couple of Patchy Cushion covers, stitched and ric-rac'd them and now they just need their backs sorting out. No night-time sewing for me though as it's bloody freezing in the dining room where my machine lives.

I really, really love, the mustard, blue and purple mix. I don't think I'll be too sad if I end up bringing this one home again.

I've still got to stitch leaves to cherry stalks and add flowers to the tops of covered hangers and egg cosies. Alongside that we've school uniform to get and I did promise a bike ride tommorow?  Better get stitching again or I'll have a bare stall won't I.

Thank you once again for stopping by to say hello and hello to new followers. I love reading the comments you leave and really appreciate you taking the time to stop by and say hello. I always like it when there's an easy reply straight back thing on the email as I can speak back. I really like the chat and the sharing of ideas. Lisa from Knitty, Vintage and Rosy stopped by and gave me a really good idea of hers. She suggested I made cushion sized Whoopie Doo cushions instead of just leaving them pincushion sized. Already I'm planning colour combinations in my head.

What I'd really like to find out is how I get the words reply to appear underneath each comment I get left. I've tried to work it out and I just can't, if anyone has the magic know how I'd love it if you wouldn't mind letting me in on the knowledge.

See you soon.

Four Days

Mid-week I suddenly remembered it was our wedding anniversary. On the radio I heard the words anniversary and I thought to myself, ours is at the beginning of April. Having my head in switched off holiday mode I hadn't got a clue what the date was, so for all I knew we'd missed it. When I checked on the calendar I realised all was fine as our anniversary was on Good Friday. Even though I'd remembered in the nick of time, there was the problem of the lack of one man to celebrate it with. On Friday he was going to be heading off in the wee hours on a mini-bus to take a team to play and watch football. One of the projects Mr Bun set up and runs is an educational soccer programme for homeless and vulnerable adults which has been going for years now. The project has rightly won many awards for all the support it's given to so many people, so I couldn't really moan could I. He did remind me that I'd forgotten anyways - ha!

Good Friday was spent having a lovely lunch with my folks and then having friends over for a sozzled pizza supper. My sweet mum bought the anenomes for me as I'd had these for my wedding bouquet. Plans were to take the Buns out for lunch with us on Saturday, then a friend invited them to come and play for the day as they had a new horse to show them.

In the end it was just the two of us walking along holding hands and doing just what we wanted. We stopped off at the Arts Centre to see an exhibition of Blitz photos of Norwich (which was included in the Baedeker Raids); warmed up with some hot mocha coffee and then I had a quick dash around the Jumble Sale going on in there and picked up the pretty blue apron. Next up we headed off to try out the new Vegetarian restaurant. It was such bliss to look at a menu with a choice of more than two things. The food was delicious and the company was pretty fine too.

Inspired by Jane's, lovely makes I decided to make the Buns some creatures like hers as Easter presents. I managed to finish off these wee bunnies before the real life Buns returned and get them hidden away for the next day.

Luckily the Easter Bunny turned up again this year. Very early on Sunday the Buns searched high and low filling their baskets with eggs before scoffing one or two.

Little Bun proudly gave us all a present she'd made at school. I'm so glad the teachers still make sure the children have time to make these gifts to bring home.

We had a family lunch planned, but we were all uncertain if my dad would be able to come. My dad is 85 and has declined really quickly with his health lately. He struggles to breathe and can hardly walk alongside tons of other difficulties, but he's not old in his head. He has always been a highly active man - sailing, racing cars, playing golf and running his own garage and then a boatyard. My mum is so much younger than dad so it's really not easy for her as she cares for him and can't share life as they used to. Their strong friendship gets them through though. Thankfully mum managed to get dad here and then we could spoil her and give her a day away knowing dad was safe and looked after too.

We had a great lunch with tons of laughter and ended with the choice of a pavlova and my first ever effort at a fruit cake. I really fancied making a Simnel cake, but I forgot it was in the oven and singed a few of the apostles. All the same they taste good.

Today was so cold and rainy so it was an easy choice to decide to just snuggle up at home. Horrible Histories were on, I sat happily making a few more things for Saturday's market and we all munched a bit more choc. A perfect way to end a lovely long weekend.

I hope you all had a lovely Easter too.

Ra Ra Ra

Mixed up with a couple of mornings roller skating and bowling we've thrown in enough crafty time to keep me and the Buns happy. Paint, glue, stickers and fancy paper came out this afternoon to decorate polystyrene eggs and keep us all quiet and happy. They look great and stupidly I forgot to take a photo of them.

While Mr Bun and the Buns glued away I drew some letters freehand. I'd seen an easter banner in a magazine and couldn't let the idea out of my head until I'd made one for our wall.

Other snatched crafty moments have found me trying to whip up enough bits and bobs to sell next Saturday. I keep finding myself looking at colour combinations more often than I'm actually turning them into something.

Yesterday though I managed to stay with it and finish what I'd started. It rained all day like you've never seen, so after roller skating we cosied up at home. The Bun's made a lego village and I got out my sewing machine. I'd found a fabulous book the week before full of home and clothes patterns and had been itching to get started with the projects in it. The best thing about the clothes patterns are they're all ones we like. There's a good mix of Little Bun age clothes, pre-teen ones for Miss Rosey and ones for me.

I'd seriously reccomend a look at this book as there's tons of great stuff in it to get your teeth into. Both Buns wanted the Ruffle-Mania skirt. Miss Rosey keeps looking at clothes from shops like Superdry, Hollister and Jack Wills. They all do the short frilly skirt, but I don't fancy the prices so I think an original from my hands will be dandy. In my day (old persons type of talk here) it was called the Ra Ra Skirt. My mum made me wear trousers, instead of my Ra Ra Skirt, when we visited Venice (aged 12 and already 6ft). I thought she was a real spoilsport. Now I've got a 6ft leggy blonde who's nearly 12 I fully get her over-protective point of view.

Anyways, back to the making. Yesterday I managed to start and finish a Ruffle Skirt for Little Bun. We chose the fabric together, not that I'm sure who it's by, in case you're wondering. The beauty of this skirt is that there's no pattern, it fits anyone. Basically it's made up of lots of strips and as long as you get your measurements right (which being mathmatically challenged I struggled with for a while) then you'll have a Ruffly Ra Ra skirt.

I did get the measurements a wee bit wrong on the bands under the ruffles so I had to add in an inch or two of extra fabric. That explains the sticky up ruffle at the back. I've learnt to really concentrate on my measuring for next time. 

Really though, if I didn't point it out then you'd be the none the wiser that I cocked up and it wasn't 100% perfect would you. And does it matter? Not at all. Little Bun loves it and has worn it all day and plans to wear it tommorow too. I think she looks gorgeous in it and now I can't wait to get going on Miss Rosey's skirt.

After that we've a few more things lined up for me to make to add to our spring time wardrobes. 

When I was in my teens and early twenties I made loads of my clothes and altered vintage stuff. I had to really as at 6ft 1" most clothes in the 80's were far too short in the legs and arms so I looked a complete idiot in them. There's far more choice these days if you're tall, but it's so much more fun to make stuff in the fabric you really fancy at half the price.

I definately think I've got the dressmaking bug again. I even thought I might search about for a mannequin to help me get my sizing right then there might be a few less cock-ups.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter weekend.

Busy do Nothing

This morning we all decided on a plan and that was to make no plans for today. We needed to just go with the flow and do whatever we felt like doing. The best thing about the holidays is chucking out routine when the clock decides every minute of the day. The Bun's wanted a jammies day and I wanted a no routine, no sense of guilt that there were a million things I should be doing rather than what I wanted to be doing kind of a day.

This kind of day meant I slowed up. I took time staring out of the window. Watched the hens race around pooing and eating for a while.

I took pleasure in just looking around. I had to remind myself it was ok to switch off and just amble around in my slobby clothes. There was no work I needed to plan (except for the pile of paperwork that I'd decided I was going to ignore) and no cleaning was going to be done today. I did have to feed everyone mind you as they kept moaning they were hungry.

When the Walrus of Love belted out You are my Everything on the radio, I turned him up loud and we had a whirling disco dancing session. I imagine a lot of families do their best dancing in the kitchen, it's definately where ours seems to happen. I doubt I'm teaching the Bun's any cool moves though, but we all seriously enjoy a twirl and a shimmy.

Dancing over and I went off in search of a crafty book. Among all of my favourite things in our home, these wee fella's are among my most happy making. They sit and prop up a pile of my making stuff books.

I got an urge to start a bit of sewing, but couldn't really settle to anything.

I was more in a wandering around looking mood. I was enjoying looking properly at our home and seeing some of the things that make me happy and so glad that I live here.

Before lunch I had a wander around the garden with the hens. My favourite thing is to hang up washing early on a summers morning with just the hens clucking around me for company. This simple thing always makes me feel so peaceful and good to be alive. This morning I took my time over it. I cuddled Pixie our rabbit and had a good look around. 

Then that sewing urge came over me again. I want to make some more patchy cushions for the market I'll be at next week. I fancy making them as a smaller version of the jolly one we have on our bed.

The Buns sat at one end of the table drawing while I chose fabrics, cut them out and pinned. Then we decided it would be much more fun to watch a film and eat popcorn.

We hadn't seen my last charity shop video buys, so the choice was between Titanic and Death on the Nile. Both boating disasters, but Titanic won the vote with the Bun's. I'd have liked to have seen Peter Ustinov sleuthing again. I'd liked Titanic the one time I saw it when it first came out, but thought it would have been a heap better and less cringey without Leonardo.

The bonus with Titanic was that it's a long film so we grabbed popcorn and choc and snuggled up for a cosy afternoon. 

I feel I've got my head into this time off lark properly now. I had fun playing with the new thingies on Picassa as there were no lessons to be planning tonight. Tommorow night I want to have a good read and catch up with all the blogs I love reading and try to pop over to say hello to the new readers who have left a lovely message here lately. Basically we're going to slow down, enjoy time together and do whatever we feel like.

Mad Hatter's

The run down to the end of term and Little Bun's birthday and party have certainly made for a mad, fun and busy week. Now my littlest girl is 10 and I'm wondering how we got here so fast. 

Our Millie is an unbelievably wise, fully paid up eccentric girl with a brilliant sense of humour that just makes you feel so good. She has a real empathy for others, hates nastiness and always befriends the kid who's getting a rough deal. Alongside this she has an innocence that means she's in no rush to grow up. She's getting every last drop out of her childhood and that makes us very happy parents indeed.

Today was the day of Little Bun's Mad Hatters Tea Party.  Late last night I bagged up sweeties for Little Bun's guests to take home.

Then I spent all morning baking. Yesterday had passed in a blur of removing about a years worth of bottles from our garage (I tried to have that "I don't have a problem" look on my face at the bottle bank), filling the skip at last and doing other yucky jobs.

Aswell as the cake I whipped up some chick and egg cakes, plus choccy dipped marshmallows. Little Bun's friends loved looking at them as much as munching them.

While I was baking and doing I got the Bun's to help out printing labels for the sweetie bags and jugs.

They also made a fabulous card garland to hang with the butterflies.  It all felt a bit last minute panic at times, but we pulled off a great party and had a blast.

We started the party with mask decorating and lathering glue everywhere. Then Mr Bun whizzed the girls outside for Alice's treasure hunt, egg hurling and an egg and spoon race while I raced around like a loon clearing up and turning the table from a crafty thing into a tea table of fineness.

Once the candles were blown out on the birthday cake, they all paraded in the garden in their beautiful masks (except Miss Rosey as I was wearing hers).

After helping out with a few bits of sticking on the masks I think I could really get into this decoupage thing. I might be covering a few things around here with sticky bits of paper when no one's looking.

 

It was such a lovely way to start a holiday we've been desperate to get to. It's been a tiring term this one with some major stresses behind the scenes. Now we're off to enjoy some good times.