Lilys House

a good find

100% cashmere cardy, slightly fulled and a teeny adult size to start with - but fits Maddie like a great big warm hug. Still as super soft  and strokeable as can be.

 

 

50 pence, yes 50p folks.

(And yes I did do a happy dance when I got home :)

a sunny saturday

meant only one thing in this household……breakfast outside (yes, it was chilly !).  Having finally got Nick to jet wash away gawd knows how many months of winter grime yesterday, we felt the need to celebrate the born again yard.  The table was washed  off and the chairs pulled out from under plastic.  It felt good to be gearing up in a very small way for some nicer weather, albeit a tad prematurely ;)

We made our way outside with a smoothie in some cute new charity shop mini mugs….

like I needed more cups, eh ?

Unfortunately, the table is the cats main departure and arrival point, so the girlies didn’t get much peace. 

We popped out for a quick walk and I spotted my first bluebell of the year, which is always a lovely sight…

the boys ran in the sun..

a nice start to the day.

I know I said I’d have a bit of knitting to show you (and a thrifty find..) but I just haven’t got around to taking pics yet. 

So until next time (hopefully more regularly now as I am loving the Windows Writer app…no more crashes),  have a wonderful rest of weekend !

new lease of life

 

This cute little cabinet caught my eye the other week.  Our office has been relocated and refurbished and this poor little thing was headed for the scrap heap. You should have seen the looks I got whilst staggering out past the security guard and bundling it into my car......

I googled around and found out how to spruce it up a bit, basically a quick sand, wash, coat of primer and coat of car paint.  I tried to get away with one can but as you can probably see, there are a few blotches.  I'll have to pick up another and finish it off properly.

For now though, it's completely servicable and makes me smile whenever I see it. Much more cheerful than the drab, deep browny green it was. Soon it will be home to all sorts of yarny paperwork.  Yes, my Etsy store will soon be ready...(bites nails...).

starting as i mean to go on

I'm making the most of today.  Lily does not get back to school until tomorrow - so we are taking the chance to have a relaxing day before it all starts again. 

It's been a good holiday but I'm glad to start our routine again.  Lots of plans for this year, job wise and creatively, new (old) friends with years to catch up with, Maddie starting primary in Sept, Lily starting big school at the same time, plans, plans.  I love the feeling of New Year, the clean slate, the potential. More productivity, less procrastination, better time management and organisation, thats the intent for 2009.  Don't want much do I ?

With all this swirling in my head, Mads and I left the slumberer in bed watching dvds and headed out into the cold..

 

spied this along the way, very beautiful.  Not much else to photograph, it is quite dull and damp and uninspiring out there today.

 

Obligatory stop in at the charity shop yielded some fine results...

 

 

(anyone who knows me will groan...one thing I do not need is more mugs or cups).  BUT my thinking is that they are perfect for my mid morning latte with my new favourite ingredient....

 

Ohh yes, I feel the call of coffee. Then back to my to do list.

Lets hope I can make the new me last beyond a week :)

today

I got some bargains.  In the current credit crunch and hard times, a £4 haul is just the thing to brighten the day.

 

these Guernsey pottery mugs hold about a pint of tea, cup included to show monstrous scale...actually the picture doesn't really do them justice - they're huge.  Nice.

 

despite having quite a 'few' pretty plates, I couldn't leave this unusual one behind.

pale grey chunky wool, just what I needed for a little pressie I'm working on for Lilys birthday at the weekend.  Chunky = quick ;)

I've been doing a little creating too and managed to finish off these little brooches for the party bags.  Actually I've only made 8 and there are 10 girls including Lily...but I'm almost there...

The next  couple of days will be spent tidying and de-dogging the house in preparation for the  Mums picking up their girls.. Not that I really care, but I think I'm used to a higher level of clutter and animals than some, if you know what I'm saying.

Lily has also requested about 10 different cakes for the tea party (strictly cakes only - skip straight to the best bit - that's my girl) so a mass bakeathon is on the cards too. I'm trying to get through to her that one can only eat so much cake without feeling ill, but I have yet to suceed..

aqua

Or maybe turquoise, whatever, I've been attracting it. Within two days of me being home I was given this great cup (now the favourite of my favourites) as a thankyou for pussycat feeding..

scored the above fabuloso duvet cover and four pillowcases for a steal in one of my frequent charity haunts, now in situ on the dogs bed back room sofa, where it really brightens up the space.  Who knows I may even get round to painting one of the walls in there a beautiful duck egg, which was the plan in the first place until I was put off by doubting Thomases (too cold, gloomy, think of what it will be like in the winter etc, etc..!)

Anyhow, for now the cover provides the colour and it's just right..

then these cotton beauties came my way a day later - charity shop, of course..

Plans for these divine colours? I'm not sure..but I can feel a crochet trip coming on.  At the moment I'm busily trying to finish off a bit of knitting which seems to be taking for ever, I really need to squeeze in a row whenever I can rather than waiting for the 'perfect' time to sit down, as that never happens.  I'm not  being deliberately secretive about it, it's just that I can't really stretch it out to show it properly as there are too many stitches on the needle.  It's a very simple shawl , I'll tell you that much.  As I've decided to add a crochet edge it may be some time before it graces the screen ;)

It's also made more difficult with a dog on your lap. 

just popped to the bank

as you can see...............I get easily sidetracked...........

  The bowl looks very old and has Wedgewood underneath (not sure if it's the Wedgewood, not that I really care, it's just my type of thang whoever made it). It's huge, that's why I left my foot in the shot for comparison :). Beautiful, beautiful - and the cloth is stunning.  I love the delicate leaves and the natural colour, much more forgiving than white in this house  .

What happened was, on the way to the bank I took a quick dive into my fave charity shop, just an involuntary action, completely beyond my control you understand.  Who should be there but my fellow bargain hunter, partner in crimes against the wallet and fabulous friend Nicky.  She was just about to ring me and tell me that the annual linen sale was in full swing.

As always there was so much to go wild over.  We both felt physically sick with excitement  at the beauty and craftsmanship of it all (and disappointment that we couldn't afford to buy everything, of course).  Choices, choices. Pillowcases were picked up and put down, crochet doilies laid out and examined, lace edging exclaimed over....................

I limited myself to the above cloth (bowl was from another fine second hand establishment over the road, our town has at least 8 charity shops, he he he!) and one other....

 

such gorgeous work..

matching tea cosy too which needs a little mending.  Camera battery gave out before I could get a pic but I'm sure you get the idea ;)

There was just one more thing that came home with me.  At £1.50 and the most perfect shade of pale green, it was rude not to, plus it goes so well with Grandmas cups and saucers...

 I've not been buying much recently due to feeling the pinch, so I don't feel too bad about these lovelies.  They were very reasonably priced actually and I will love them and use them. It's sad keeping them hidden from view in a drawer.  I believe they are there to be enjoyed. 

Speaking of useful items, Penny has a gorgeous hand stitched apron and lots of other goodies up for a giveaway, so get on over and leave a comment to be included - it's a good one !

P.S  I'm still seeing my pictures look pixelated and generally a bit 'off' on the blog.  They look fine on the compose page before I upload online.  Bottom picture especially.  Anyone else having this problem with Typepad ?  I've tried lots of different things, not resizing for example, with no difference.  Hmmm, hope it sorts out soon.

edit.. Funnily enough, if you click on the picture to view, it's fine, so it must be Typepad, just tried it.

time for tea

 I have great difficulty resisting a pretty cup and saucer.  The above example was a must have because of the fuchsias.  They remind me of Mama, my Grandmother, who loves them and has always grown such beautiful examples.  You don't see fuchsias on many things, let alone tea cups, so home it came.

next up - you're going to love it or hate it.....

I love it obviously, or I wouldn't be trying to photograph it in it's best light.  Yes, it's a bit (or completely) cheesy depending on your view on such things.  That just makes me love it more. I feel very in command and head of the familyish when I use it, especially if combined with wearing a pinny ;)

one to something a little more me......

 

as much as I love my girly fine china, these little beauties are my favourite. The blue is so striking with the design  mirrored on the cups.  There were six cups and saucers but one cup got smashed thanks to Mowzer leaping off the top of the fridge onto the china....one of the perils of having animals all over the place. They're are the kids favourites for evening cinnamon milk and just the right size for Maddies little hands. 

I'm more strict with myself now, as space is getting short and you can only drink from one cup at a time, after all. I do love having the choice though....and I know I'm not the only one (you know who you are !)

new for the stash

A gorgeous mix of neutral shades....wool, wool and cotton and wool and silk.  My favourite charity shop did me proud today. Usually it's rummage deep and maybe, just maybe find a hidden gem amongst the novelty wool.  Today it just kept coming.......and at £2.50 the lot how could I resist.  I have a project in mind which sent me on a wild search for my long  Addi's (.. my only pair and in my opinion really worth the extra pennies).  I found them in a long forgotten knitting bag, unused since I made Maddies wool nappy wraps. It was like finding an old friend. Not that I haven't got other things to finish but casting on for something new is so much fun.  More on this if I actually get round to it...ahem.. ;)  In my mind, I'm a much quicker and more accomplished knitter than in reality ....and it really annoys me.  Sadly, I have dreams at night about knitting the most fantastic lace shawls like this and I wake up enthused, thinking that I actually can.  I posted a while back about my lack of success with lace knitting. One day I'll do it, probably when I'm a granny and have all the time in the world, sat in my rocking chair.

Also to show - a couple of the many lovely books that I received for my birthday....I'm always so very happy to receive books.  These were actually the only crafty ones. The others were Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend, The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes from New York's Sweetest Bakery , The Gormenghast Trilogy and Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.

An eclectic mix :)

Thankyou family, very much, they all excite me in completely different ways !

So, quite enough to be getting on with, don't you think ?

Have a lovely weekend !

purple flounce

Got to show you this divine little top I happened across at a car boot last year. Hand made and fabulous...I have got to try and make one similar. I'm not very good at sussing out pattern pieces from made up clothes but I think it would be worth the brain strain. It's made of (I'm guessing) a light weight poly/cotton and it drapes so well and comes off the line with absolutely no creases. Maddie has really taken a shine to it too and my heart leapt when she chose it 2 days running. A very rare honour indeed.
Clothes pickiness has started, much to my dismay. At the moment it's absolutely no trousers... - so she can be 'spinderella' as she calls herself whilst twirling. Trousers, shorts or leggings cause a major freak out. You have no idea the tantrum I had on my hands after putting some beautiful cream linen trousers with this top. She wanted to wear it as a micro mini. I stuck my ground - but she removed them the minute we got back into the house.