Pockets full of glass!!!!!

I'm starting to realise I have an unhealthy obsession with the weather!!

 

The forecast was good for Saturday so we planned to go on a bike ride. Although the sun was shinning it was pretty cold, so we had a re think and decided to go to the beach. The beach always lifts my spirits, the wind in your face, the children happily running round collecting shells, what could be better.

 

 

 

 

 

Is the creature above a Cuttlefish? sadly it was deceased.

 

 

Did I say the children happily collecting shells? I meant me too, but today's challenge was coloured glass. Yes my pockets where full!!!

One or two jobs and a bit of knitting!!

 

So a few weeks ago I made a fish tank (like you do!!) to accommodate a small knitted fish. The fish was lonely so I continued to knit. The colours are pretty random as they are out of my stash. The extra fish also needed a home, so off to our bathroom (which is pretty old and mainly white).

 

Using invisible thread and cellotape I attached my fish to the airing cupboard door (it sounds easy, but invisible thread is hard to use. I looked like a mime artist, trying to find the ends and untangle the mess).

 

I'm really happy with my fish family, they brighten up the bathroom. Once again my photography skills are not great but I'm sure you get the idea.

 

 

The weather towards the end of the week has improved, so outdoors I went. After my recent post about auricula's I received some seeds from my friend with instructions included. Sow before the end of September!! Job done.

 

The next outdoor job was power washing my patio. Patio is a very loose term, the paving outside is also pretty old. It doesn't drain it just puddles, so by this time of year its very slippy. I'm too embarrassed to show you a before and after photo.

 

Out with the knitting needles and another baby girl hat. I've knit this one on double pointed needles which means no sewing up at the end. But just look at all the ends!! the double pointed needle method would have been great if I'd used just one colour.

 

 

Last job for today was a 'Great British Bake Off' challenge. Two children, two lots off cookie dough, chosen cutters and NO EATING THE DOUGH UNTIL THE END.

 

 

My little boy chose dog bones and my daughter chose ghosts. They all taste the same and will be gone in a few days!!

 

 

Just one of those days!!!

So, do you ever have 'one of those days', when everything just doesn't go to plan. It doesn't matter whether you work or are a stay at home mum, it doesn't matter if your young or old(er), it doesn't matter if you have children or not --- sometimes you just have 'one of those days'.

So what got me through mine?  Well it was an elephant, a worm and some rehab!!!!!

Yes a bit of Internet surfing!  The first site is 'Elephant in my handbag', then I had a little look at 'Fabric Worm' then to finish off a bit of 'Fabric Rehab'.

Now --- feeling a lot better, I just need to locate a bit of cash to follow through with some Internet shopping!!!

Please can we have some sun?

Slowly we are getting back into the school/work routine. Add in the start of after school clubs, Beavers, gymnastics (not me personally) etc. and you get a pretty busy household. Naively I thought blogging would be easier when we got back to school, but I was wrong. No crafts took place this week although I did lots of mental planning (meaning all in my head sort of plans).

The weather improved this weekend slightly, so as half the family went swimming, the other half had a little trip out with my Mum. We headed for our local garden centre for a little winter colour.

On Sunday we set off for Ormskirk for a continental market. There was a definite chill in the air as we walked around the town. The children had a play in the park, but with the promise of hot tea for the adults, we didn't linger long.

 

I don't want to promise any crafting will take place this week as my plans never seem to amount to much. But at least I have plans!!

 

Bye bye Summer!

This weekend has been surprisingly nice, weather wise. But looking around my little garden you definitely feel summer has past us by.

Way back in June I did one of my favourite jobs of the summer season, putting up my bunting. When we moved to this house I made some bunting (flags) for the garden and now I put it up every year. Sadly the colour has faded but it still gives a summery feel to a not so summery summer!!

This weekend with the summer coming to an end and the children back at school, I have embraced the upcoming autumn by bringing in the bunting.

 

I have turned a blind eye to the caterpillars eating my nasturtiums (collected happily by my little boy, just to watch, then release).

 

 

I have enjoyed picking the few ripe tomatoes and the cucumbers in my green house.

But now we must move on. Now we must look at books, surf the Internet, look for Christmas craft projects. Definitely time to move forward. What about some lovely knitted sock decorations or maybe some Christmas themed bunting.

Its a wrap!!

When I start a project, due to bad management  storage solutions, I often can't find all I need to make a start. When knitting I have been known to buy the needles when buying the wool (because I'm lazy and I don't want to look to see if I have the correct size needle!!).

So I recently gathered together all my knitting 'stuff' to sort out. What I needed was a knitting wrap!

So this is some of the stuff I would need to store (sometimes you shock yourself when you realise how much craft stuff you have - that's why I didn't photograph it all together. Also if it shocks me, what would it do to my other half!!!)

I had already purchased some fabric for the main body of the wrap. So with some items from my stash and a little children free time I started.

There are lots of design ideas on the Internet for knitting storage but in the end I just did my own!!

I was really pleased with it when I'd finished, especially when I put in the most of the knitting things. I think its a trick of the eye, but it doesn't look like I've too much stuff anymore. Actually I think it would benefit from a extra pair of scissors and a note book!!

The last few days of the summer (holidays)

Well its back to school tomorrow, which I thinks a bit sad. I always love the school holidays. A lot of our activities are pretty low key (low cost) and this year we haven't been blessed with great weather.

We took a trip into Preston to the vintage festival at weekend. The photos aren't great (too many people!) but the weather was lovely and we had a good time.

We enjoyed the marching band, specialist 'lancashire' made food, It's A Knockout, vintage clothes and accessories for sale, arts and crafts for kids, you get the idea!!.

We have also been to the beach - no school holiday is complete until you've been to the beach. The sun shone on Tuesday so off we went.

 

The tide was nearly in so there wasn't much beach, but my little boy still manage to collect a heavy bag of stones to bring home. He probably forgot to say but 'thanks Grandma for carrying my stones!'

 

Well the name tags are in the clothes and the PE kits are in the bags, just hope the children have a good day. Fingers crossed.

Auricula update!!

So I purchased some more pots, gravel and a correction pen.

 

Now I just need to keep them alive over winter and wait for them to flower. Sounds simple !!

 

p.s. Its not so simple writing with a correction pen on a circular plant pot.

My gardening dream!!!

So as much as I love crafts, if the sun shines I love to be outside. After many years of only having a small back yard, I now have a small garden. One plant I have always admired is the Auricula. Its often expensive to buy and rumoured to be difficult to grow. But this year I bought my First (hopefully of many) Auricula, Piers Telford.

After mentioning this plant to a dear friend I acquired three more. It turns out her garden has a spot with perfect conditions to grow auriculas. So my extra three (if I don't kill them) will be a surprise colour. Shall I show you my dream?

Following on from my obsession with blackboard paint, an ideas was born.

A little fine tuning will be needed - no zig zag edges on the next batch, don't do the sticking on of stickers on a windy day, don't start just before tea time, etc. So the finished pot will just need some gravel then the plant can go in. Do you want a look at a 'work in progress'. Next time a nice rectangular box ready for plant name