One day at the Dentist.....

It was back in January to be precise ,I picked up a lovely magazine in the waiting room......



The February issue of Period Homes Magazine ( They have up to date magazines !)
My attention was grabbed by the " homes with a heart " caption . I had just started reading a lovely article about a Derbyshire Cottage when my name was called ..noooooo..
Luckily when I was in the supermarket later that week I spotted the same magazine and popped it in my trolley so I could finish admiring this gorgeous home !!

How lovely is this ?



I wish my bedroom looked like this...



..and the little people slept here....




What I really loved about this home though is that it has taken since 1992 to get it to this stage and it's all been done on a strict budget . The owners Phil and Phillipa Heath have done most of the work themselves.They have sourced furnishings from reclamation yards,house sales,hand-me-downs and skips. I am envious of such a sense of style !!
Have a look a the dinning room with all its' mis-matched but totally gorgeous furniture.....



While studying this lovely image I noticed a poster on the wall ,hiding behind an Easter tree . It's not easy to see on the photo due to the photo going across two pages . It says...

"I love you more than cherry pie " perfect !!

so cute and not too soppy ,don't you think ?

In an ideal world I would have .a) the time and b) the skill to made a lovely embroidery picture that says this but unfortunatly I have niether.So.......



I made this instead !! It's a bit wonky but hopefully that adds to the charm !?!
It hangs on my kitchen wall and makes me smile :0)

Jacquie x

My Weekend

The weather was kind here this weekend so Saturday and Sunday saw a little light gardening. First there was some primula planting......



I picked these lovelies up in the supermarket on Friday. Don't they look so happy?
I particularly love this pink one....


You can click on the image to enlarge it ( and on any of my photos )I wish all the photos came up a bit bigger anyway but I'm not sure if it's possible .

Here they are looking pretty by my front door....



They were labled "fancy primroses " .I don't think I've seen these before ,and at two for £1.50 how could I refuse ? They are certainly an improvement on what was there before....



When I moved this container it broke in two due to the extream frosts we've had this winter .

I also dug up and divided some perenials ,did some pruning and Master BM dug over the veg. patch .
Last year was the first time we had tried growing veg. The little people wanted to have a go otherwise it wouldn't of happened. It was relatively easy in the end,the BBC Gardeners world "Dig In " campaign was a big help.
We got a good crop of potatoes and beetroot ,and also made plenty of mistakes which hopefull we won't repeat this year !!



On the crochet front I'm sorry I think the links to the crochet coat hangers didn't work so I'll try again here and here . I decided to have a go at http://dottieangel.blogspot.com/ hanger as she had posted a how too . I'm a big fan of her style even though it's not like my own .Her photos always look amazing and her writing style is lovely and quirky too .

I must say this is no Lucy type tutorial ,with photos and step by step instructions,although to be fair she does make this clear.

I had to alter the pattern quite a lot to get it to fit my hanger ,but it gave me a great start and I'm more than pleased with how it turned out . Do you want to see ?
Go on then .....







that's better...a pretty ,co-ordinated, crochet hanger for my crochet corner ...here's the back ....



a " happy hanger" indeed ,thankyou tif


Have a great week
Jacquie x

P.S.If your little people are on school hols. hope you all have fun .

Hurray for Friday !!

It's been a busy week here in the BM household,which is not unusual.
I've had very little craft time ,mostly due to my three little people needing a fancy dress outfit each for school today.
I was feeling the pressure on Wednesday and Thursday evening ,but the smiles in the playground this morning made up for it !

I do enjoy my Fridays anyway,and having that problem sorted makes it seem even nicer.
The sun has been shining here this morning and I finally managed to get to my favourite fitness class ,having missed several weeks due mostly to a lack of motivation !!
It makes me feel so much better, I don't know why I let it slip ?

One good thing about having to make the children's outfits is it necessitated a visit into the loft to retrieve a hat.
While I was there I finally managed to rescue my old Lloyd loom chair .So after some fitness and the weekly shop I rushed home to photograph it for you.......






Its now taking pride of place in my bedroom and I think my square throw looks so pretty draped over the back Lucy style!!

It's currently teamed up with my ripple cushion which I made about this time last year ,as I still haven't finished my Emma Lamb style cushion.

Also looking pretty in this corner is my new dress,it says River Island on the label...but I must admit I got it for a bargain price in a local charity shop.
It's funny 'cos when I was in my twenties and thirties I really disliked charity shops.I thought they were a bit sad and smelt funny .But now I'm in my forties I love finding nice things ,and helping a good cause.I suppose it's guilt free shopping...very little expense and recycling too !



It's much prettier in real life,with a ruffled hem and sparkly beads....so I'm enjoying admiring it hung on my mirror....shame about the coat hanger.
Luckily blog land has had some super crochet coat hanger inspiration this week here and here so I'm off to find my hook !!!!
Have a super weekend
Jacquie x

Easter Decorations

Hello ,well only one week till the children break up for Easter hols here !!!
I've been inspired by the lovely Easter decorations seen in blogland to create my own Easter tree this year.Having never had a go at this before I'm still experimenting,and it's great fun.


This is how it looks so far... a little bare I feel, but I am pleased with how it's coming along.

All that's on it so far are some of my Lucy flowers left over from my wreath and some felt eggs I made at the weekend ...


On Saturday afternoon Mr BM took our little people to watch the local football match.This gave me about 3 hours free time.Not long enough to get out the sewing machine but time enough to create something pretty with felt....



and to photograph the stages for you.....



I made a simple paper template and cut out some felt in Easter colours,2 layers for each one.I then added some pretty embellishments to the front ....



I then added a cotton loop to the back to hang it up.Chose some co-ordinating embroidery thread and blanket stitched three quarters of the way around and stuffed lightly ,before com pleating the stitching.....



I enjoyed making these ,choosing things from stash .In fact some of the things in my stash are positively vintage.....



This 70's floral print....a scrap of fabric left over from a party dress made for me by my Nanna


This 80's pearl trim is left over from when I made my wedding dress.

I knew they would be useful one day !!and it's great to be able to incorporate these things which are so sentimental.Does anyone else hang on to things so long ?

have a great week
Jacquie x

Springtime Crochet wreath

Hello
Just wanted to share my latest crochet project with you . Earlier this week lucy posted her Springtime wreath and I wanted to make one right away!

The nice thing about crochet ( and Knitting ~ but I'm not a good knitter )is that it is such a portable unintrusive craft . By unintrusive I mean it doesn't need much equipment or space.

I see loads of great fabric projects on t'internet but I just don't seem to be able to find the time to set up one of my three sewing machines ( don't ask !!!!!!!!) and anyway the only place to put it in our house is the dining room table which is always in demand for homework, drawing, cutting and sticking (not to mention meals )

Thank goodness for crochet !! I can walk around the house,with a ball or two of wool and a hook , and create my latest project whilst bathing the little people or helping with spellings.....
When the latest video game gets too much I can sneak upstairs and crochet in bed :0)
So it only took a couple of days to make this......


I'm so pleased how this turned out ,just right for spring . I did different flowers to the original (still Lucy's pattern ) and they ended up looking a lot like primulas, which are everywhere at the moment and so pretty they are too !!!!


The weather is definitely warming up here . Hurray....and the days are lengthening.
Here is a lovely sunset I caught about 6 pm last week
See you soon
Jacquie x

crocus love

Hi there , well it's come around to Saturday again already !! where did that week go ? It's so nice to see some definite signs of spring isn't it .The weather was beautiful here today,blue skies and sunshine plus a fresh breeze which made washing dried on the line smell wonderful !!
I'm enjoying playing with my new camera and the spring flowers are particularly photogenic at the moment . Crocuses are my current favourite,with snowdrops coming a close second !! so here are some I snapped whilst out and about today...


Unfortunately I don't have any crocuses in my own garden ,must make a note on my calendar to plant some this autumn as they are so lovely ( and I don't think they leave you with lots of messy foliage once they have finished flowering which is a bonus )
I also wanted to show you the crafty bits of my week,all the amazing inspiration seen on lots of lovely blogs,not to mention flickr ,make me want to make something every day !! Most days I manage a little crochet,at the moment I'm working on a cushion cover in the same colours as my square throw,which I'm very proud of . I have a Lloyd Loom style chair in the loft and inspired by Lucy at Attic 24 I'm hoping to have a pretty chair of crochet goodness !!My cushion is inspired by the work of the very talented Emma Lamb
.So here's how it looks so far ..
Another bit of craftyness was a mothering sunday card for my mum .When I was little she allways encouraged us to make cards rather than buy them .At the time I wasn't convinced the recipient would prefer a less than perfect homespun effort but now I know which I would rather receive from my little ones !! so ,you were right mum !!
Happy mothers day
< Think I am getting the hang of this blogging business ,though it still takes me ages!!!
Better get to bed now ,even though I'm hoping for a lie in tomorrow . Wishing you all a relaxing Sunday and fun with your loved ones .
Jacquie x

Sunny Sunday

Hope you had a good weekend. The weather here on Sunday was particularly nice ,as you can see from this photo taken yesterday ,lovely blue sky . We even managed some gardening for the first time this year . Infact yesterday was quite productive,lots of fresh air in the garden ,a scooter ride for the little people , the some creativity indoors ...
These are 6" squares for sues blankets for the elderlywhich I managed to finnish yesterday . I really enjoyed playing with colour combinations for these and it's nice to think they will go to a good cause .
Something else making me happy yesterday are the tulips I picked up in the supermarket on saturday .The colour inside is amazing :0)
Oh does anybody else struggle with the tecnical bits of posting ? cos I am big time !! I've tried to add a link to sue's blanket site but it doesn't seem to work !!
http://www.sunshineinternationalblanketsoflove.blogspot.com/ hope this does !!
Have a good week
Jacquie :0)

Hellooooooooo

Well Helloooooooooooo ,is there anybody there ? No I don't expect there is just yet and that's fine with me at the moment !!!!! I'll start by introducing myself ,I'm Jacquie a forty something mum of three who has been enjoying reading lots of lovely blogs for about 2 years now . I've had a flikr photostream for a little while and really enjoy the interaction with like minded people so this seems like a natural progression I think !!!!!!!!

I don't expect It will be a very wordy blog as my typing is fairly rubbish LOL

I've just treated myself to a new camera so I'm hoping to include some nice images at least !!!