Beauty and the (choco) Beast...

Did I get lucky or what? After all the gorgeous scarfs seen on here and hoping they might be for me, I got such a nice one you wouldn't believe it (hence the pics). The package was battered and bruised from it's long journey all the way from Texas to Kent, UK. But everything inside was undamaged.




I opened up the package and a mountain of goodies came out. All wrapped nicely with sunny paper and bows.



One thing after the other was revealed and my it did feel indeed like those a childhood christmas. First thing to be unwrapped was the Texas sause. I tried a pinhead size drop yesterday and was happy I didn't try more on my first go. It's soooooo hot you wonder how they stop the bottle melting. Then came chocolates... which I hardly ever eat. I'm a choco-beast you see. They are gone to heaven by now, but had a great trip. Very very good quality chocolate!! MMMMMmmmmm *time out 2 minutes*...

Right where was I oh yes. Next up a tin of mints. Well that's what I thought at first and I was very happy with them. Until I opened it up to eat one and voila!! Gorgeous stitchmarkers and a "keyring". I put them to good use within a couple of hours after receiving them. I'm working on the EZ baby sweater. My first garment project and got confused again and again. So I used these stitch markers and it went super quick. I've finished the arms and am now working on the body again.

Next up a cute little book for note. Very handy and last but not least: the scarf. And all I can say is: It's beautiful. Gosh it's sooooo nice. It's silk. My first silk scarf. And the pattern is pretty too. I took a pic that shows it clear. Nice isn't it. I might be a choco-beast but I will look like the true beauty with this item. It's colour looks fab on jeans and with my dark hair. It even has little sparkles!! Sigh! nice!



And all this I got from Kelley. Thank you so so so much! I don't know what to say (although I talk a lot). It's so gorgeous. I'm quite amazed at it's beauty. I could go on and on about it, but I would start to repeat myself with lack of words. Sigh it's fantastic. Thanks so much!

Stalker

Oh my! I think I need some help. This whole craft explosion is not very healthy at all. Not only am I completley obsessed by yarn and fabrics, patterns and craft podcast (on which I should do a blog entry, there are soooo many cool podcasts out there), but now I’m turning into a freaky person. I’m a on the spot stalker!!

Here is one of the pics I took:


You see why? Isn't it nice!!

I have no idea who this person is and I secretly took a picture of her. Why? Well her top ofcourse. I just couldn’t let inspirational material like that walk by. I would have forgotten. My lack of a photographic memory is to blame! The world is filled with great idea’s, that is not the problem. Remembering them all is! So I’ve taken to snapping pictures of strangers on the streets. Every day I walk to the station and if I see a top, jacket, coat, bag or anything I like, I match my speed with that persons. Take out my phone and set it ot silent so it doesn’t make that clicking noise when I take a pic. Open the camera and snap snap. It’s done. It’s very easy and not obvious at all. I could be flicking through my pics or texts. You think there is a cure? Do other crafters have this need to snap inspirational material, even if it’s on peoples backs?



This one is quite too don't you think. A daring colour but it works.

Today I'd also like to mention our new stalker. It's the neighbours cat. Isn't it a pretty cat? Ofcourse I'm bias as I love cats and had to leave one behind in the Netherlands when I moved to England. I couldn't let him stay in quarentine for half a year. The poor puss had just lost his brother in a car crash and was quite upset already. He missed my ex a great deal too, so I gave him to my ex. I sooooo wanted to take him, but this was best for him. Last I heard is that he's doing great. We might get a cat later in the year, but until that time I'm trying to make friends with the cats in the neighbourhood. :D This one, forgot his name, comes through the garden so often I wonder if I should make a special crossing for him. hehe.


"Just passing!"

a productive weekend

I’ve been a busy little bee this weekend. First I decided to use this gorgeous Laura Ashely fabric I bought in London a few weeks ago to make two blinds for the hall. My intention was to make a window seat and use it for the cushion. But not having seen my new house for months had made the window much smaller in my memory. Now that I’m living here I realise it would not be a cute little window seat, it would be huge, more like a bed. So what to do with all that lovely silk? I didn’t know. Until I walked down the stairs and I wondered if I could make a folding blind out of it for the window. There are two windows in the hall, on at the bottom of the stairs and one at the top. The previous inhabitants had taken one roller blind from the lower window and left the second. This is a horrible white roller blind. So I got my fabric an folded it to roughly the size of the window and held it up. Wonderfull. It would lift the hall from plain and boring to nice and pretty. With a bit of paint work too.


I couldn't help seeing how it would look

During the week I got all the things I needed and on Saturday I went to work, while on telly the annual Horseguards parade was held in honour of the Queens birthday. The Trooping of the colour is a very great British event and I love it. Pomp and pageantry to the max. So with great entertainment on in the background I began. If possible I will put up a tutorial, but they are not finished yet, so lets see the results first. I’ve got one left to sew and the other is done, except for mounting it on a bit of wood to hang it up. I thought about stapling it to the wood, but then I can’t was my curtains. However it’s silk, so I don’t want to wash that anyway. Also I can always take the stapels out. Might finish it off this next weekend.

On Sunday my boyfriends parents came around and brought vegtables for the garden. I’d like to make a vegetable patch in the back, but that is for the future. The ground still needs to be prepaired and we also want a new shed. So until that time I will have a few growbags and pots. They also brought a pot for the Olive we got from Mark and Julie. Doesn’t it look nice. I’m very happy with it. Shame I couldn’t bring my Dutch olive. If mum and dad come over I must ask them to bring it. If they come by boat.


The forrunner of my veggie plot

Then around four o’clock or thereabouts I sat down to make a knitting bag. I was fed up with carrying my knitting around in a plastic bag inside my handbag. I’d see some on etsy for sale but what others can make, I can make. Although usually less well. But not this time. I’m extremely pleased with the result. It’s an inside out bag from Amy Butler fabric. If I feel in a pink mood its the pink outside, if I feel in a blue mood, you guessed it: it’s the blue outside. I will make another for Louisa a colleague who knits too. Then I might make them to sell. It’s a very handy bag for all sorts of things I imagine. Let me know what you think and how much I should ask.



The Pink side of the knitting bag...


... and the blue one!

Pom Poms

I’m a follower of many craft blogs. I’d like to see what keeps other people busy. I’m a very homey person, with that I mean a person that like to be at home and everything that goes with it. I like gardening, entertaining, cooking, etc. On one of these blogs, Hostess with the Mostess, I found this very extremely cute video. This is a must see!! My boyfriend and I had a good laugh because of the cuteness. And I warn you the cuteness factor is about 10.000!!



You recovered yet? Wasn’t it cute? I’m not one for these sort of things, but this is just too cute!! On this same blog I found this entry about someones gorgous party. It looked just super. The bride to be all lovely and the friends all happy to share in her happiness. The organisers of the party realy outdid themselves. They had this romantic gazebo and lovely yummy food. But what caught my eye most was the enormous, fluffy pink and orange pom poms. I clicked on to this greengelato’s own blog Down Down Baby to investigate futher. And there was the Pom Pom Party entry. I quickly found out it was a Martha Stewart product, but that she also was kind enough to put up a Tissue Pom Pom tutorial on her website.


Step 1


Step 2



The result

This after a publication in her magazine Wedding, which we can’t buy here (******  scolding that needed to be blieped out). I can only buy her Living magazine . Anyway. Another blogger tried Martha’s tutorial, please have a look for this at Deep Fried Kudzu’s blog.




When I get the house in order a bit more I shall be attempting to make some of these. If I can find the tissue paper. No Martha Craft products here, so must make due with what I find. I wish I had an American pall that could send me this sort of stuff... sigh. If anyone feels up for a post service let me know. I will send on any items that are only to be delivered to a UK or European address and my pal can send me stuff on that will be send to her address in my name. :D It’s just an idea hehe.

New house

And I'm back!! With the first few picks of my new home. Hahaha and here it is:

tatatatataaaaa:


The kitchen with the breakfast bar

Notice that the bar stools are way to high, but my bf didn't like the lower ones.. the ones that would be just right. The ones that are just high enough so you don't eat your cereal and cover yourself in milk trying to get the cereal to your mouth, which is miles away. It's a discussion point I might make anytime soon. Moving is a stressfull think and I thought it wise not to mention it yet. Not to mention that we now have a breakfast bar that I still can't use as it is no improvement from sitting on the sofa and eating my cereal. I want a table and chairs. Or lower bar stools. Stubborn men!!


The living room, well part of it.

It's still a bit bare, but we only just moved in. All our furniture is tiny because of our old house. It sort of drowns in this house. Haha a good reason to go shopping, wish I had money. lol.


The back garden, still looking a bit wild.

The gardener in me can't wait, but bf likes grass so I can't do a lot. Very discouraging. So I will focus on the inside of the house and slowly build up the outside. Men and their bloody lawn. I don't mind a bit of grass. It's always nice to have a green bit, if and when it is framed my a lovely garden. A bit of lawn on it's own looks like a field where gypsies might park their caravan. There is nothing wrong with that in the slightest as long as it isn't in the back garden. Bah! Ah well, just give me time. I'm sure I can work on it.