Making me smile today...

Hello,
Just thought I would drop by and share some of the things that made me smile today.
Firstly ,I spotted these simple but perfect flowers in a front garden this morning.I love the way they are "looking" at the sun.....



When I returned home and started tidying round I found this picture ,done by youngest whilst I was at work yesterday..........


A picture of him climbing Everest.Great to see he's still got the climbing bug.

So loving these flowers I picked up for a few pence yesterday.They were reduced at Sainsburys as they were at the and of their shelf life......


Oooh I do love a bargain,especially one as pretty as this.

Also looking lovely are my Poppies ,enjoying a bit of shade from the heat of the afternoon sun............



And last but by no means least ,something else that definitely made me smile, I won my first giveaway !!
Yes Julia Crosslands 100th post giveaway. I feel so lucky.
Hope you all find something to smile about this weekend
Jacquie x

More Outings and some embroidery

Hello,
Well good ol' Blighty has returned to familiar dull chilly weather.Never mind the heat was great while it lasted and hopefully it will return soon.
I've got some more pic's of Beacon Hill Country park taken on Sunday I would like to share with you.
There's a very diverse landscape in a relatively small area and the little people are already talking about going back in the Half Term Holidays ,next week.
As well as the woodland..........

The great views....

And rocks to climb on (this wasn't as dangerous as it looks ,honestly !)....


There are also open spaces to picnic and a wild flower meadow.......


And also this.......


A Labyrinth . It has been created by making a path through some huge rhododendrons...


It was lovely and cool in the dappled shade and round every turn were gorgeous flowers.........

There were plenty more still in bud so I think a return visit in a week or so is in order.


I haven't forgotten the crafty part of this post it's just taken a while to get here. I've finished my embroidery hoop picture and I must say I'm really pleased with it. What do you think?......



The only thing I had to buy was the hoop.Which cost a bargain £1.90.
The background material came from some cotton thrifted curtains.And the felt was just scraps I had left over from previous projects.
Working within the hoop made the whole thing so easy,as the material was held firmly.I think it makes a great frame too.Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best .
There's even an embroidery hoop Flickr group if you want more inspiration.
Today I've been and bought a second hoop as I think a pair of these pictures will look even nicer .
Jacquie x

Makes and " Mountains"

Hello,
If you are in the U.K. I hope you are enjoying the stunning weather we are having at the moment.

This got plenty of use over the weekend....



And a barbecue was enjoyed by all.
I also managed a small amount of craft on Saturday.I found a lovely shady spot in the garden and did a little work on my latest project....


This is inspired by the gorgeous embroidery hoop picture giveaway at Amanda Makes.
I've entered to win her beautiful caravan picture,but I don't seem to have much luck with these competitions.I've not one a thing to date.
So I thought I would have a go at making one myself.It's my first attempt and my embroidery skills are pretty poor so I knew I would have to keep it simple.
I'm using this tutorial .And I've adapted mine to look a bit more English.
I love Melissa's work .Check out her blog here and flickr here.

On Sunday we enjoyed taking the little people to Beacon Hill.
Mr BM and I discovered this great place back in March.I shared it with you here.Which was only my fourth post!!

Well luckily the little people loved it too.The woodland part was beautiful in it's spring coat......





Then there is a short but steep climb to the top.With it's great far reaching views...



The nicest part for me was my youngest's enjoyment of the climb .He's only 7 and I was half expecting him to get tired and start complaining . But no. He strode off with his Daddy .When we were quite high he turned around and his reaction to the view was "Wow, Is this the highest place in the world? " So sweet.



There's a marker at the top which tells you it's actually only 802 feet above sea level, but as there aren't many big hills in these parts it feels like the top of the world........



On the way back down he remained so enthusiastic about "climbing". It was pronounced to be his new hobby.
For which, he informed me ,he would need walking boots,a special stick and a badge, with a mountain ,sewn on a special T. Shirt.

I think he my be out of luck with the first 2 requests .But a badge with a mountain .That I can do....




I thew this together when he was in bed last night.I think if it keeps him keen on Climbing( a.k.a. Walking up a hill )then that's great. I've put a pin to the back instead of sewing it to a T.shirt .

Today, my climbing bunny turned into a poorly bunny .So a day spent looking after him has given me some unexpected craft time.I've nearly finished my picture.I will hopefully share it with you lovely lot later this week.I'm really pleased with how it looks so far.
Jacquie x

May 2000

Hello,
This week I've been thinking a lot about May 2000.
This is what I looked like ten years ago........



How maternity fashions have changed ! In this photo I thought I had about six weeks till I became a mother.In fact, it turned out to be only a few days.My much longed for twins arrived 6 weeks early.

Yes, their entry into the world was quite traumatic.And the first weeks so demanding,thank goodness my Mum came every day to help.
Lets be honest,the first few years were so demanding .Talk about 24/7!
I suppose that's why having one,non-premature baby, three years later seemed like a walk in the park.


But of course it was totally worth all the stress.My twins , their younger brother and Mr BM,are the best things in my life.
The stage they are at now is so lovely.Still so affectionate .But increasing in confidence and getting more independent.
Here is a photo of them in the early days .With the little crochet coverlets I made while pregnant.....


It was eight years before I found the time and inspiration to pick up my hook again.
I'm always impressed by Mums with very young families who find time and energy to keep creating such lovely things.And,time to share their creations in blogland.

I feel so lucky to have a lovely, healthy family,and ,now,the luxury of time to myself .Time to relax and be creative.Time to appreciate all the small things that are easy to take for granted.
Lots of things have changed in the last ten years.I think writing it down here really helps me to appreciate all I have . Don't get me wrong,they drive me mad at times.Some days all they seem to do is squabble and fight.But most of the time they are such good fun and keep my young.


Yes, my memory and my pelvic floor may never be the same again but being a mum is great!

Happy Birthday boys,double figures ,Wow !

Mummy x

Out and About

Hello ,
Hope you have good weather in your part of the world this week.
I haven't got much done in the craft department as I've been spending as much time outdoors as possible!
On Monday morning I took a walk around our village. So many lovely things to see,and great to be able to wander along admiring it all without getting cold.
Every where looks so green.....



And the hedgerow flowers are so pretty close up.....




Further on there's lilac......


Laburnum and Clematis.....


When I got home I decided to plant out the few annuals I have bought .As I've mentioned before ,I'm trying to concentrate on planting more perennial plants this year .But I did pick up some of the small Geranium plants my local supermarket were selling .
They were only £3 for 20 plants .I love geraniums as they don't mind a bit of neglect and last for ages.

Tuesday morning was glorious,and I messed about taking these photos outside my work place as I really didn't want to go inside! 8am ,loving the long shadows and early morning sun.....



Not so sunny today but still nice and warm, and no work. I went out with my Mum to a local market town.We returned along the back roads as we usually do .It's so pleasant with very little traffic.........


We often drive past this interesting looking old barn,but today we decided to stop and have a closer look....
There's a lovely pond just a the side of it.....

And a style where you can get a good view of the lambs....


The country side looks so beautiful .........

Yes it's great to be out and about in May.

Wow, that ended up as long post.I got a little carried away with how beautiful everything looks at at the moment.
Hope you enjoyed !
Jacquie x

Skirt Makeover

Hello,
Gorgeous weather again this weekend,shame I've missed most of today ,stuck inside at work.
Never mind, I've come home to an empty house ( little people at a party ).I've wandered around the garden,looking at all the plants , feeling myself unwind.I've even tidied up a bit and there's still time to talk to you lovelies,can't be bad !
I have a question for you today....
Do you ever make your own clothes ?
I certainly used to make lots of mine .When I was a teenager there wasn't a lot of spare cash in our household.So if I wanted something new to wear I quickly learnt that Mum was far more likely to agree to buy a pattern and some fabric than the ready made item.
I suppose she thought it was a good skill to learn and in those days it was actually much cheaper. So on her Singer,the same one I use today .....



I ran up skirts,blouses,trousers and dresses. There were a few disasters,stuff that never saw the light of day.But also good stuff .In fact by my late teens I was adapting patterns,and making my own.
When I was a student I even made some white trousers and shorts out of a bed sheet!!

These days I have other crafts that take up my free time.Sewing your own clothes is certainly not a money saving exercise these days.But it is very satisfying.I took out a subscription to Prima to receive the patterns every month, but so far I've only made this sun top out of fabric in my stash...



My sewing skills are a bit rusty ,so even this simple item took quite a long time. Luckily I get a similar sense of satisfaction in finding a bargain and being a little more "green".This is a skirt I bought at our local boutique ( charity shop !).....



It was OK. Quite a flattering shape and length but a little dull.


Then this came with my latest magazine ( you can click on the images to make them bigger ).......


A little Boden catalogue...Lots of gorgeous things in here.......





I love all the bright colours and extra details like ribbon ,piping and beads.
And it gave me the inspiration to add something to my dull skirt...maybe this....



Or this....

Or what about both....

Yes I think that will work .
So out with my Singer ,and less than an hour later I've got this....

It's lucky the little people don't mind my requests for their photography skills ! These are the best shots....



I know it's not as gorgeous as the Boden clothes,but I'm quite pleased with it.It cost a fraction of the price,didn't take long to do ,and is a one off !

I've also sneaked a little crochet garment into the post.... a bolero I made last year......



It's the Short and Sweet Bolero from this book....



I made mine in Patons 100% Cotton .It was the most complicated pattern I've attempted and required a lot of concentration,so not ideal when you have lots of distractions ! It took me a few weeks to finish.The cotton was lovely to work with,and it fits well.
Maybe that should be my next question ...Do you crochet stuff to wear ?

Look forward to hearing your views ,have a good week.Maybe it will even be nice enough to wear my skirt!

Jacquie x