A wonderful swap ...

The great thing about blogging is finding people who make things you like and who are happy to swap their things for your things!

This was only my second swap and I love them.  That reminds me that I must show my first swap to you because I was very, very lucky (when I received it my computer had died a horrible death and was in the shop all week!).

So how did it happen?  The lovely Nova, over at a cuppa and a catch up, mentioned that she liked my rainbow bunting and I know how much I liked her pincushions so I asked if she would like to swap.  I felt a little cheeky  but luckily she loved the idea.  She gave me the choice of what I wanted (how cool is that?) but I said I would love a surprise.  And what a surprise it was!

How cool is that?!!!!!!

And the back's wonderful as well.

It is sitting very proudly right next to my machine with just the 3 pins in!  I have to let you in on a little secret - in all the years I have sewn I have never had a pincushion.  So now I have - and what a pincushion it is!

Thanks so much Nova - do you get the idea that I L.O.V.E. it?!!!!!!! xx

PS I'm totally open to the idea of swaps - for TOTALLY OPEN read WOULD DEARLY LIKE TO DO MORE SWAPS!!!  So if anyone sees anything they like maybe you'd like to do a swap - I know I certainly would.  Let me know! x

I want to come back if I may?

It's been quite some time but I think I'm ready to come back here.

I tried a few other places but never got into my stride so then I thought why not go back?

So much has been happening but if I dwell on that I'll never get a post done. So I'll start today. The blog page needs some work but why let that put me off - if I do nothing will ever get done.

I have to admit I have got so much more done since I haven't been blogging but then someone mentioned that they kept up on their blog reading by google reader (thanks Amy!) so I've decided to give that a go and start up mine in the process.

It's going to be lovely to catch up with some old faces (no offence intended) and see what they and their families are doing and making.

So that's it - no pictures, no fanfare, just a return. x

Giveaway results and thanks

And the winner is .....



... Michelle. Thanks for all the comments and congrats!

And I was also the lucky recipient of a box full of goodies earlier this week:

a box full of thrifted woollen jumpers which were already felted!!! A huge big thank you to Amy of Seven Stitches who mentioned she had a rather large stash and very generously donated some to me! Thanks so much Amy - I will now have to put them to good use! xx

little grubs is 1 and I am having a giveaway!!!

little grubs turned 1 whilst we were on holiday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

I can't believe that a year has passed already - we sure have fitted a lot into that year. I've had a look through my posts and it has been great to have a record of our family life and things I've made and, of course, my various thrift finds! It would have been nice to have had a record of the move to NZ but only having dial up at the beach put an end to the blogging for a while.

I have come across many amazing blogs in my travels and never cease to be amazed by the creativity, love, passion for life that I see in the posts. And as for crafty inspiration ........ my poor little mind is in overdrive regularly!!!! I haven't met any bloggers in person but I've learnt alot about people from their blogs and have received much support back.

So a HUGE big thank you for anyone who visits this little page! It really is lovely to know that people pop over here and I truly appreciate all the comments. So regular commenters and newbie commenters alike maybe you'd like to leave a comment on this post and be in for a chance to win a Birthday Giveaway because no birthday's complete without presents!!!

I've got a little dress and matching reversible hat up for grabs. I made the dress from a thrifted sheet and added 2 buttons from my stash and used the same material for the hat with the other side from a pillowcase. It would fit a little girl upto about 3 and is great as a sundress or in the colder months with a top underneath. So with no further ado I give you the dress - ta da!!




And the hat!



Obviously I will finish this (having someone to send it to will prompt me to get it done at last!). And the dress in action? I have a willing model but one who doesn't really take instruction, who am I kidding she doesn't take ANY instruction - she's what you'd call a freestyle model!!!

I'll leave this open for a week and then pick a winner so leave a comment and be in to win!!!!!

A post about the credit crunch ...

Not much going on at our house today! However, I have managed to do some blog hopping and found this awesome post on a blog called Wardrobe Refashion. I too was wondering how the governments can say spend, spend, spend your way out of the recession - was it not too much spending that caused it in the first place?!!! Think I'll be popping back there too because 'Wardrobe Resfashioning' is something right up my street.

Small celebrations and a giveaway ...

The world seems to be getting more crazy each day, in fact I don't really like to watch the news anymore because it seems like all there is is bad news and the bad seems to be getting worse than ever, if you know what I mean!

So I have decided to celebrate the small things, I guess a way of counting your blessings. Here goes:

1) we started in our garden today and went from this:

to this:

with plenty of these:

"long worm mummy, looonnnnnngggg!"

"this is mummy worm, mummy"

one very relieved worm back in the soil!

with none of the threatened rain:

2) Cassia wet her knickers today, but on the wooden floor not on the new carpet!

3) What's better than finding one of these?

Finding two of them of course! And for only $3.50 each they were a fantastic buy for my little girls. I had thoughts of repainting them but that can wait because they like them just the way they are.

4) Having an idea and trying it and it works! I wanted to crochet an egg shape. When I googled it I came up with lots of patterns but they were for 3D eggs and I just wanted 2D so I took my heart pattern and figured out the rest. It only took 2 attempts and I had an egg shape! Hurray!

So that nicely leads on to the giveaway! This is my 100th post - wow I can't really believe it so let's celebrate. Leave a comment before Monday you can be in to win the giveaway. What is it? Well it's crocheted eggs of course! 7 different eggs made into a bunting - sorry no photo of it hanging - the light is fading and I was lucky to even get this one!

Sharing the happy news ... and a giveaway

1 Craig and I celebrated our 9th anniversary yesterday

With everything that's going on at the moment both of us had forgotten about it!!!!! I remembered at 4.30pm the night before and luckily a friend could sit Cassia for a couple of hours and Maia was going to pre-school so we got to go out for breakfast on our own. Now it doesn't sound huge but it is such a lovely luxury to be together just the two of us - no-one else to look after, no refereering the 2 girls, no sticky little fingers over you and no requests for that lovely last bite!

2 Maia's 4th birthday

We have had a delightful day and will certainly post more about this because it has been great!

3 I received great news today

I had a biopsy taken 10 days ago for a suspected form of skin cancer - today I heard it wasn't - hurray!!!!!!!!! Although I know I need to be checked every 6 months and be viligant about my skin, at least I don't need another operation - and on my forehead to boot!

4 50 posts!!!!!!!!!!

OMG, I can't believe I am now a blogger! I would like to thank everyone who has visited my site and for all the lovely comments that have been left. I haven't acutally told anyone I know that I have been doing this, because I didn't know what they would think of it and me! (Just like I wasn't sure what I thought of other people who blogged!!!!) However, I have really enjoyed doing this and have loved finding other people's blogs too - it's so strange how you seem to attract and to find such like-minded people. So as a thank you to you all I would love to have a GIVE-AWAY!!!! Any new comments to the blog within the next week will be put in a hat and one drawn at random (now isn't that something for this age of technology?!). What will it be? A child's beanie or a heart bag - you're choice! So leave your comments before the end of Tuesday 16 September - and be in to win :) !!!!

5 I have saved the most momentous news until last

Look at the picture and guess what we're doing?!

The wonderful world of Blogland

Well I have been well and truly sucked in! Having not read a blog until a few months ago and, to be honest, not really understood what they were or why people did them, the last couple of days have been a revelation. Some very kind people have visited me and left comments and I have visited them - is that not how it works?! I've then clicked on some of their links, and so on and so on. What a huge wonderful world is out there. Having spent years justifying myself for what others see as hoarding it's great to see other people have made it an artform and a living from it! Having moved many times and sent containers to the other side of the world, and back again (!), some might agree with my husband when he asks "Do you really need that now?", "Is that box of 'memories' really coming with us?" (in fact it was more like boxes). Yes it really was worth it all! I have been unpacking some of them recently and have unearthes some much loved and treasured possessions from my childhood that I guess I can call vintage now. Is the 1970s vintage?!! I've loads of things I'd like to show you but need to get them dusted down and photographed - and maybe a sunny day to take good ones!

A beautiful crocheted blanket I found here.

And an amazing patchwork skirt found here.

These are just a few of the blogs I have found. I really must find a way of organising them because I see such beautiful and inspiring things and then don't know how to get back to them!

Vintage Heaven

Lavenderhouse

Sew Recycled!

Reading material from New Zealand

We had my in-laws arrive from New Zealand at the beginning of the month. They hadn’t seen the girls for over 12 months so couldn’t believe the change in them, especially Cassia. She was 9 months when we left NZ last year and is now a walking, talking, jumping, singing 21 month old!!! Not only did they bring the girls presents but I had also put in my shopping list before they boarded the plane.

I’d never really read magazines regularly whilst in the UK but whilst resident in NZ I started reading Next and NZ House & Garden. Both of these were warmly welcomed into my home and I set out to read the July 2008 edition of NZ H&G. I don’t normally read the letters pages but did on this occasion and a lot of the letters referred to an article in the May edition. That article was about a New Zealander called Melissa Wastney who was making beautiful items from pre-loved clothing. It whetted my appetite and of course I had to find a copy of the May edition. There’s a shop behind NZ House in London called Kiwifruits The New Zealand Shop and it was only a matter of minutes before I was on the phone to them asking if they happened to have a copy left. Fortunately for me, unfortunately for my bank balance, they did and it duly arrived within a few days. Now not only could I read the article on Melissa Wastney but I had another full magazine to get my teeth into. Melissa has a lovely blog, tiny happy, which has become something of a regular read for me now. Maybe it could inspire you too!

What excitement!

Just a very quick post to say how exciting it is to get comments on your blog!!! I guess you all know what it feels like but just wanted to extend a welcome thank you to those who have left such lovely comments for me. Some are ladies from the Green Parent forum I am on but two are from other ladies who have 'found' the blog. Being very new to this whole medium I don't really understand how they found me but I'm sure to learn. Thanks again and please come back and visit!