Fun Crochet

Hello Lovelies,

back in 2009, before I started blogging, I discovered the wonderful world of creative crochet available on the internet

I loved the many stripy jar covers that I saw like THIS  and I remember using EVERY colour of yarn I possessed at the time to make this version...........

It lives by the phone and is great to keep various pens and scissors handy.

I still like it's colourful stripes but it's grubby and has seen better days now. My crochet was a bit rubbish back then and I just made a rectangle and sewed it together......it was too big so there is a large overlap which I hide at the back :0)...........

Since that first attempt I've made many other and better stripy covers like THIS one, so when it came to this project I wanted to try something different and thought small squares might work............

Once again I used every colour of yarn I own......well every colour of Stylecraft........I have much more yarn these days...............

These tiny squares are made using half double ( U.S.) half treble ( U.K. ) stitches . They are made in the same way as the centre of a granny square, but with only one chain at the corners and joined as they are made.

Here is my finished cover   Ta-dah...............

 I love this bit of colourful yarny goodness that is destined to live between the phone and the fairy liquid, beside the kitchen sink :0)

 But I couldn't resist popping some garden flowers in it today and enjoying it as a vase on my mantle for a little while.............

 It's simply sewn together , you can just see the stitches in the photo above. I could have joined as I went to create the cylinder of yarn, but as it's purely decorative I didn't think it mattered too much. I did think it needed a border top and bottom to tidy it up though so I added a row of U.S. single crochet to finish it off.

I love my patchwork vase/pen holder............

and I love summer days at home with time to smell the roses...............

I hope you lovelies  are finding some creative moments this summer (or winter)

Jacquie x

p.s. despite the glut of posts I am spending most of my time away from a keyboard this week.

Outings with my boys , gardening, de-cluttering, visiting the library, reading, crochet and  a little running have been making me very happy......I think I've found a balance and it's a good feeling. Thank you so much for all your kind comments.

♥ Summertime Moments ♥ At Home

Hello Lovelies,

I'm enjoying my week off work with my boys immensely. 

The weather has been great and the computer has been turned off for most of the day. 

I can't resist photographing the happy things that I love to record and share with you lovelies, so here is  simple post of  happy home-time moments.

Flowers from the garden on the bathroom windowsill..........

Seeing a mention for my sail-away decoration in Simply Crochet magazine :0)

baking on a cooler evening when I could bare to turn the oven on.........

Yummy carrot cake, THIS simple recipe...........

Barbecuing and eating in the garden. Eldest cooks the meat and I make the salads etc.. He's always been  such a helpful boy and I love it now his help really is helpful..............

Quiet time just for me.........

A shady spot and a cup of tea, time to sort out my yarn bag and put all my tiny scraps in this little bag I made as a teenager......I still love it..............

Also time for adding a few more tiny squares to my latest project.............

It's nearly finished now.......I cant wait to share.

Jacquie x

♥ Summertime Moments ♥ Dovedale

Hello Lovelies,

gosh I've been sooooo tempted to spend hours recording every detail of this family outing. 

But I'm just going to let the photos do the talking.

Why not click on the first and view them in the lightbox....you wont miss any words till the end :0)

Dovedale on a hot summers morning was magical. The cool shade under the trees, the sounds of the sparkling river Dove. The fresh greens everywhere, the wild flowers, the places for boys to play.
The photo's don't do it justice. If you get the opportunity just go. But go early.....it's a deservedly popular spot.

Jacquie x

♥ Summertime Moments ♥ Evening Landscape

Hello Lovelies,

my favourite times in hot weather are early morning and the evening.

These are a few snaps from one evening last week when I set out to pop to the shops on my bike, but couldn't resist a little detour first............

I loved the golden light and warm stillness, just a little birdsong and the distant rumble of the combine harvester broke the silence.

Thank you for all you comments and understanding about my technology time dilemmas. This feels like a great compromise right now.

Enjoy your Sunday lovelies.
Jacquie x

♥ Summertime Moments ♥ Why, and a Butterfly

Hello Lovelies,

as we head into the long school holidays I've been think about this old blog of mine, and especially how much screen time me and my family enjoy....it's a lot. More than I'm comfortable with really.

I love recording  and sharing here so much , but I also want to live in the moment this summer.

I thought about having a complete break for a few weeks, but I know I would miss this wonderful community and your sweet comments.

But equally I want to be a role model to my boys. How can I ask them to ease off on the technology when I'm so hooked up to it myself.

So I came up with a plan........I'm just going to write very short, sweet posts........a few photo's and fewer words.

That way I'll feel I'm still looking after this special place of mine, but also concentrating on my home and family. I hope this makes sense.
Things will return to normal in the Autumn I'm sure.

small Tortoiseshell

So this is the reason behind my idea for these ♥ Summertime Moments ♥ posts.

 This first one is just to share the beautiful butterflies that have been covering my Buddleia bush this week....aren't they wonderful.......

Peacock 

I had a go at painting one in watercolour , using the photo above.  I think it turned out O.K.........

and it was lovely working with all the beautiful colours.

More moments coming soon.
Jacquie x

Sunny Skegness

Hello Lovelies,

on Sunday we made another journey to the coast. This time it was to visit relatives who were enjoying a long weekend away. 

In many ways Skegness is the polar opposite to my favourite seaside places..... like THIS one.

I think it's held in fond regard by many East Midlands folk  as it holds happy childhood holiday memories, but not having that link to it I can only speak for how it comes across these days. 

I can see it's got traditional seaside appeal.....who can resist the gentle donkeys, giving rides to many happy little children...............

There are stripy deckchairs to hire , so that, as it says on the sign.....you can
 "just sit back and relax !!! ".........

and plenty of buckets and spades of every shape and colour...............

There are wide walkways lined with colourful flags..............

 and flourishing, sweetly scented annuals................

Green spaces edged with beautiful roses................

 aren't the roses wonderful this year

and an iconic mascot who features in fun statues............. 

and tea towels.................

  THE JOLLY FISHERMAN has been synonymous with the resort for over one hundred years.

On a warm July afternoon I did have trouble taking photos that were not FILLED with faces, it's certainly popular with all types of people......well, there is lots to do......

Much of it is based around noisy amusements, there's a pleasure beach with loads of rides and games. The landward end of the pier looks like this............

source

I would have loved to have seen it when it looked like THIS. Today it's much shorter...............

But happily some parts still remain largely unchanged..............

I love this original sign...................

with it's date of construction.................

you can read a little of it's history HERE

 and happily the seaward end looks beautifully traditional.........a quiet place to wander along the wooden boards

 or sit and enjoy the cool sea air....such a pleasure after all the hot and humid days we have "enjoyed" lately.....................

 The beautiful detail on the ironwork is looking a bit rusty.............

hopefully it will be restored soon.

Standing on the end of the pier you get wonderful views, both back towards the hustle and bustle, and in the other direction there are acres of quiet space...............

wonderful

But my favourite thing is wandering barefoot through the shallow water with Mr BM.........

 and standing in the waves watching my boys enjoying their third dip of the day.......those boys, and their cousins, LOVE the sea................

They LOVE a '99 too...............

                                     And in Skegness they are humongous!

The whole family left tired but happy, a little bit more fond of dear old "Skeggy".

Jacquie x