On a Cold and Frosty Morning

Hello lovelies ,
This morning we woke to a sharp frost . After dropping the boys at school I decided there was time  to go for a little walk with my camera.
The allotments are still so productive despite the short days . I loved the ice on these leaks....

I headed for a favourite footpath of mine , one I haven't found the time to visit for ages, to see what it looks like at the moment............

Ahhhhhh, still gorgeous in the early light............

It's wonderful to slow down for half an hour and really notice the frost while it lasts..........

Round the bend the frost has already melted where the suns rays have reached...........

In one such  sunny spot I notice an old piece of farm machinery which I find interesting ..........

And also the wide mixture of colours in these Ivy leaves..........

Time to re-trace my steps as I'm getting rather cold . My Hands are numb despite my thermal gloves and I'm very glad of several layers of clothing including my long padded "Duvet Coat" as I call it .

There are loads of birds hopping about here , but of course I don't manage to capture any in these pictures , they are too quick and shy.........

I even stand quietly beneath this oak tree waiting to get  a shot of the sweet  Robin, all fluffed up against to the cold.  Or maybe one or the lovely blue tits ........ but I fear I would need a super zoom lens and more patience :0)

As I head back home to all the jobs that await I take one last picture.........

Hope you have a lovely weekend with a little time for yourselves.
Jacquie x

P.S. in case you were wondering, the title of this post comes from THIS nursery rhyme.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Hello Lovelies,

 is it really a whole week since my last post? 

It's been pretty busy around here so I don't have any finished crochet to share today but here are some clearer pictures and information on my latest project.

 I found a sweet pattern called  "Home Is Where The Heart Is" Here  that seemed perfect for making some Christmas bunting. I love their plump shape........

I made some in two colours  and some in a single colour , then sewed two together and lightly stuffed.......

Lovely :0)  I used Patons Smoothie acrylic yarn from my satsh. It's quite a solid pattern so the stuffing doesn't show through........

 I just need to finish sewing them all together and stuffing them , then I can string them together.

 There are other seasonal touches appearing in our home too. The supermarket has started selling Hyacinths again .........

 I couldn't resist popping a pot in my trolley this week. I just love watching the flowers emerge and change.

 It's a particularly joyful sight at this time of year when spring is so far away.............

My Welsh dresser is continuing to delight me and it's proved the perfect spot to display an orange and clove pomander made by the boys. It's probably a bit early for this but I was pleasantly surprised when they requested to make one this year.

Now they are getting older I fear this sort of simple activity will soon loose it's appeal.  Still, I don't mind playing around with these wonderful smelling ingredients myself.........

Also looking festive on my dresser  is this plate I picked up in the charity shop last week. It's a scene from the Yorkshire dales and reminds me of a special weekend in May ( though it wasn't snowy then )..........

I've also been making some granny squares from embroidery floss and a 2.5mm hook. I'm hoping to turn these into decorations too.........

I just need a few more hours in the day.
Jacquie x

Fireside Warnth

 Hello Lovelies , 

the weather has been rather horrible so far this week. Cold and windy and wet. The kind of days when you dash about outdoors and give a big sigh of relief when you get back home . 

Yesterday , in between the dashing about, I picked up this book in the supermarket ( Morrisons ).
 I thought it would make a nice Christmas pressie for my grown up niece as she enjoys baking and cooking.......

When I got home and sat by the fire to thaw out a bit I decided to have a closer look through it's pages. I love the photography and styling. .........

                               Yesterday I was definitely in the mood  for comfort food

Ummmmm, mismatched vintage crockery and pretty floral page edges......

I felt inspired to do a bit of baking. There is not much I prefer on a cold wet day to pottering about  in a warm kitchen  making something sweet. Lemon drizzle cake looked yummy but I didn't have all the ingredients ...........

So I chose a different favourite treat of mine from the book. One  I had never made before .

It's a good idea to test a few recipes in a cookery book before you give it as a gift don't you think....quality control and all that :0)

Dough rising by the fire.........

then rolled out and spread with a cinnamony butter cream and raisins ( should have been currants but I didn't have any )

I'm pleased to say these Cinnamon Swirls turned out  very yummy and were especially popular with Mr BM........

As you may have spotted in my previous pictures I'm enjoying playing around with red and white yarn at the moment. I little Christmassy decorative project I'll share more of soon........

 Thank you all so much for your kind comments on my welsh dresser.
 After I took those photos Mum came over with some blue and white storage jars that had belonged to my Nanna.
This one is my favourite . I just love this simple 1950's pottery and the fact that something of my Nanna's is now looking so pretty on my dresser ..........

Hope you all have a good week
Jacquie x

My Welsh Dresser

 Hello Lovelies ,
well , the welsh dresser I was lucky enough to pick up for a bargain price arrived on Monday. And I'm totally thrilled .
This week I've had so much fun playing around with it ........here's what it looked like on arrival. It's  Antique Pine..............

I LOVE that all the stuff that was previously on display is now tucked away in it's drawers and cupboards........

I may paint it in a while.....I'd like to think it could look a little bit like this one , notice the price ? but then again I may leave it as it is.

But for now I'm happy to live with the pine. It's such an improvement on what was there before and I'm really enjoying arranging and rearranging things I already had on it's shelves.
Want to see ?

Here's how it looks today ,

Ready ?

Ta- dah.........

It's been constantly evolving all week as I've tried different things , it's largely thrifted , handmade or sentimental stuff I've had for many years ( and a bit of crochet, naturally ) . It's a real treat to have somewhere like this to arrange it all..........

The only thing I have bought new for my dresser are these cute flower lights. It's in a dark spot so I wanted to add some light , as there are no power sockets on this wall these battery lights , with their warm glow are ideal..........

I've also made more mini bunting from some pretty CK papers I had ( like the plant bunting I made earlier this year............

If you read my blog regularly lots of this stuff will be familiar, but I hope you don't think It's a bit strange dedicating a whole post to a second hand piece of furniture . Mr BM does , he's just said as much.

I'm ignoring him though . Thank you for sharing your dresser I love in your comments on this post.
I'm sure this display will continue to evolve over the months and years so I think  it's nice to capture it as it is now .

Hope you have a relaxing weekend
Jacquie x

Misty Days

Hello Lovelies,

there have been many misty days around here lately. Thankfully it's not been too cold and I like the quiet stillness that comes with this sort of weather...........

The Autumn leaves are particularly beautiful at the moment, both on the trees and on the ground......

Wonderful mellow tones of yellow, orange and brown........

 It seems like  the next windy day will make the remaining leaves fall which feels a little bit sad , but I do love the changing seasons..........

Winter is approaching so quickly

And the days are shortening........

Still, I do like to cozy up on dark evenings . Draw the curtains, light lamps and candles. And be thankful for my family and our cozy little  home..........

Many lovely bloggers have taught me so much about really noticing the beauty around me . And how to cherish the small things that make me happy . Whatever the season, I'm certainly thankful for that.
Jacquie x

Welsh Dresser Dreaming

Hello Lovelies,
Hope your weekend is going well. Our home is smelling wonderfully festive at the moment, due to the fact we have been making a Christmas cake. This is a new thing for us but inspired by Frugal Queen we have followed Delia's Recipe and I'm hopeful the resulting cake will be yummy. The aromas of citrus , cinnamon , nutmeg and brandy floating around here at the moment are divine.....I wish you could smell them.........

Anyway, I digress. This post is about a long held dream of mine to own a Welsh Dresser. I simply love them as I think  they look so pretty . Do take a look at Kazzy's fabulous dresser in her blog header HERE, see what I mean ?
 Additionally they are both   a practical storage item and a wonderful display opportunity . I even have a spot I would like to put one in my dining room..........

Ummmm , I don't usually share this uninspiring corner with you lovelies because it is a cluttered mess. This picture was taken after I had moved my yarn stash and project bags. I've donated a lot of outgrown toys and clothes to charity so my yarn can squeeze in a cupbord upstairs. But I'm still left with this ageing Ikea shelf unit which does not hide any of the  remaining necessary stuff.

I'd been keeping an eye out for a secondhand Welsh Dresser in the charity shops but without much luck ( and even from a charity shop , a nice one can cost about £90 around here).

Then last week Mr BM came home  and told me his workmate was getting rid of a Pine Welsh Dresser and would I be interested ? "YES I AM" was my instant reply.
Happy day !! a Welsh Dresser had practically fallen in my lap and for only £30

Well I'm really hoping it will. Final delivery arrangements are still pending but somehow it will be mine .
And in the mean time I've been allowing myself to do some serious day  dreaming. I've made a Flickr Gallery of my favourite dresser images HERE with added notes to myself about why I love them.

I'm so looking forward to finally getting this clutter out of sight and I can't wait to play around arranging some of the pretty things I already have on it's shelves. Christmas has come early for me .Of course I'll be sharing pictures with you all :0)


I'll leave you  with a couple of Autumnal images........

Wonderful  , and just painted by my talented Mum.
Jacquie x

Happy Things

Hello Lovelies,

Just sharing a few things that have made me happy over the past few days. Firstly.........

Sunshine on my Kitchen windowsill and a gorgeous vivid pink Cyclamen...........

I love the pretty flowers and the way the buds look as they grow..........

just perfect

Secondly....Getting out  into the countryside while the trees still have some leaves. It's cold here now but we have been lucky with the sunshine too.......

Noticing some wonderfully green moss at my feet...........

And crunchy leaves underneath them..........

Walking with my eldest on Saturday , enjoying each others company and the bright bursts of colour still visible in our neighbourhood...........

 There was not much sun yesterday but I still enjoyed I bit of gardening once I had talked myself into braving the cold. I've been doing a bit of  pruning  and  planting tulip bulbs , a gift from my Mum, for a burst of colour next spring ............

It makes me happy to get out in the fresh air when I can , then it's lovely to cozy up indoors with my crochet afterwards.
Jacquie x