Play Houses

Hello Lovelies , thank you all so much for your great comments on my last post. We are back indoors again today :0)
I wanted to share some beautifully styled greetings cards I found this week with you lovelies....

How sweet are these ?? I'm not sure I will be able to send them to anyone , I just bought them because I find the images so inspirational and totally gorgeous. These shelves full of pretty blue and red pots, not to mention the best flowers...tulips, roses and sweet peas ...my favourites. I LOVE   the tea cosy with it's crochet flowers too...........

How cute is this little polka dot chicken sitting on a red shelf and the pretty floral wallpaper.......

And this wooden bobbin with its pretty ribbon.......

And that blue polka dot enamel coffee pot...

The second card is even more drool worthy in my opinion....

A vintage caravan!! with pots of geraniums, more tulips and a gorgeous table and chair. Can you see under the chair,there are some vintage annuals and some polka dot pumps ... so sweet .....

And look through the window....

Gingham curtains , pretty canisters and , just visible, floral curtains too.
 You can just about see in the door..there ,on the left ....

a tantalising glimpse of a glass fronted cupboard with fabric hearts hanging from the handle. I would LOVE to have a look around this cutesy caravan. Do you think the shelves are inside ??? Wouldn't that be great !!

Since I found these images I've been having a little day dream about owning a vintage caravan too. It wouldn't have to go anywhere. I could just enjoy it in the garden...use it like a summer house . Yes that sounds wonderful . I could make it really pretty with thrifted finds and crochet cushions . I could sit in it and crochet .The little built in cupboards would make a great place to store fabric ...hey I could have my sewing machine set up on the table, it would be my crafty Wendy house :0)

Maybe one day....a girl can dream...... In the mean time I have this to share with you ....

It's my strange crochet object a little further on , and here's the other part.......

Yes it's toadstool ( well done on guessing correctly Heather:0) ).... here's the finished object looking pretty on my mantle ....

A little toadstool house .....

The pottery tortoise I found in a charity shop a few weeks back is looking pleased with this make. So am I , I even managed to embroider on a few flowers , they are far from perfect but not bad for a first attempt.The door and window are felt .
This idea just sort of evolved , as many of my projects do . To start with it was going to be a little container with a removable lid ( like Victoria's lovely version HERE ) but it wasn't working so I decided to stuff it instead. I'm not really sure when it changed into a house.

That's a lot of little projects I've been enjoying recently...it's been good fun and I'm hoping I can now pick up one of my blankets again :0)
I haven't forgotten the Hexagon tutorial...thanks for being so patient.
It's almost the weekend .Yay.
Jacquie x

Edited to Add ....thankyou Vicki for telling me where I can indeed see inside this gorgeous caravan !!..Do check out Happy Loves Rosies Blog , its stunning :0)

A Grand Day Out

Hello Lovelies ,
Last week, when all five of us were off work/school, we had a little day trip to see the part of the world where I grew up . I don't have any relatives here anymore  ,so consequently, even though it only takes a couple of hours to get to this part of Yorkshire, I haven't been here for ...ooooh ....20 years !!!

Inspired both by Lucy and Heather's  lovely pictures , and by a desire to show my growing boys where I come from we finally made the trip . Up the motorway, then along increasingly twisty , hilly roads , still comfortingly familiar to me .
Finally we get close to my old home and I know exactly where to stop...a little lay-by on the moor....I hold my breath as we round the corner. Will it be the same  ? 20 years is a long time . Has my memory played tricks with me ? Is it as gorgeous as I remember ???..........

Ahhhhhh....stunning , just as it always was . Growing up looking at this view every day I didn't even register it really . Views were not high on my list of priorities as a child ...but, BOY.... they are now .
Back then I didn't know anything else . It was just there . Today I'm in heaven to see it again , still almost identical to how it was back then .We get out of the car and I drink it in .Sigh......

 It's really hilly around here and that makes for great views ............

I'm so happy when the boys play in the heather, just as I remember doing as a child, great for hide and seek or just laying in the springy Heather and cloud watching.....

The moor in these parts is a mixture of Heather and Bilberry plants. These are looking particularly pretty in the sunshine. I'm interested to see  the little fruits growing already. .....

I've spent many an hour picking these ,they are  purple when they are ripe , like a smaller version of a blackcurrant.Great for jam or with apple for a crumble.
It's lunch time by the time the boys have finished playing . Just simple cheese and crackers  made then and there and enjoyed with milky coffee from a thermos , looking at the view and enjoying the fresh air and the peace ...

Next we walk into the village, along the footpaths and past these cute " Hen Pieces "as they are known around here.....

On the Main street it looks pretty busy, but this is quiet for Haworth . It's a very touristy place which is a mixed blessing when you live there. My mum used to say that you could buy the same thing in every shop on the main street, not quite true but that's how it felt.

Being famous as the home of the Bronte Sisters means the pretty cobbled streets have been preserved so that has to be a good thing......

After a quick look around we head out of the village , ice creams in hand, back to car . It's such a lovely warm day and I know a favourite spot for just such a day.

We drive past the reservoir...it's looking pretty empty for this time of year....

Then along another valley before the road climbs . Now we are much higher than my little moor.  No trees grow up here and it's a pretty bleak spot in the winter, but today the view is stunning...even the boys are impressed....

We are over the border in Lancashire now, and heading down into the valley bottom ...to a spot that was just a deserted hamlet when I was a child , but now is a country park.........

Back down among the trees . I love the dry stone walls.....

Wycoller has seven bridges of different ages and a lovely cobbled ford across the beck.....

this is the pack horse bridge and it has a slightly wonky look ,one arch being a different shape to the other...

Walking across it you can see the wear of the stone from hundreds of years of use.....

The boys have a great time playing in the water , building a "bridge" with the stones ...

You can see their handy work towards the top of this picture , though I've mostly included it because of the cute Mother Duck and her duckings...

It's so peaceful here too, I think the local children are back at school . I sit and listen to the gentle running water . Near the water the walls are covered in moss.........

Wycoller Hall, which is now a pretty ruin also has  a Bronte connection .....

It really is idyllic on a day like this......

Looking at this image I can see why Mum, a keen painter, loved to bring us here as children. While by brother and I played it the water she would sit and sketch this scene.....

I think this steep path used to be the main access to the hall......

And at the top of it we found this strange object......

The boys ran ahead to investigate but I turned around to soak in the far reaching views towards Pendle Hill, it's distinctive outline is easy to spot....

The strange object turns out to be this. It's fun to climb in and out of if you are a small boy ,and the windows frame the view.........

But on such a glorious day I'm happiest sitting on the grass and enjoying the panorama.........

Can you see the interesting stone walls behind my knees ? They're peculiar to this area , medieval walling, I've since learned they are called Vaccary Walls.

I sit for a while and drink in the Sunshine .You can just see my youngest at the edge of this shot , he kept running down the hills and I had to warn him to slow down . He's not used to such steep slopes ,ones where if you are not careful your momentum will mean you can't stop .....

All too soon it's time to get back in the car and head back over the moor into Yorkshire,back to Haworth..........

The boys are hungry and so am I . Ahhh fish and chips . They were darn good :0)

It really was a grand day out and one I will remember for a long time.

Jacquie x

P.S. In Yorkshire "Grand " is used for lovely , enjoyable , beautiful. Not anything posh or regal.

Puff Flower Pattern and Saturday Pretties

Hello Lovelies, are you still mesmerised by the Royal Wedding ?? I am , it was such a happy day and a feast for the eyes. All the splendour and a totally beautiful bride. I'm so glad it went well for them .I have to admit to having a little giggle at some of the guests fashion disasters as well .

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my bunting. With the boys still at home I don't have time to do a tutorial but yesterday morning I wrote the pattern out as clearly as I can so some of you lovelies can give it a try.....

You can click on the picture to make it bigger and if anything is unclear please let me know.....

I hadn't even noticed the hearts made by the second round of puff stitches till you lovelies mentioned it :0)

Breakfast yesterday was  accompanied with  pulling down some experimental bits of crochet that were not doing to progress any further. I ended up with this colourful pile.......

Yummy bits of yarn . I think this little lot could be ideal to use as a portable crochet kit :0) With the weather
improving I'm looking forward to some al fresco crochet.

The garden is full of lovely surprises at the moment . I did a little gardening yesterday afternoon but it wasn't long before I was reaching for my camera to capture the pretties. My Allium is about to explode into wonderful purple globe shaped flowers any day soon ....

On a sunny afternoon this shady spot under the trees is my favourite....

More tiny flowers which I don't know the name of but they are so pretty.....

As you can see here the garden is far from perfect ...bare patches in the lawn from football are par for the course with three boys . I'm always happy when they are outside playing ,though sometimes it's hard to tear them away from the electronic entertainment indoors . The train set only came out after much wailing and gnashing of teeth when I banned any screens for the afternoon.....

I pottered about , replanting and tidying whilst they played .Admiring this Euphorbia looking stunning in the sunshine..........

Later on my favourite gadget ( my crochet hook ) started calling me and I hooked up a little of the yarn bits into this .......

A strange looking  shape that is based on a plant , can you guess what it will be ? A little hooky gave me chance to use my other favourite gadget of the moment , my new crochet hook roll...........

I made this on the only cold miserable day last week ( Tuesday) . I'm so pleased with how it turned out :0)
I used this great online tutorial and chose this design as it incorporated somewhere to store your scissors and needles , making it a great practical , portable little kit........

I used fabric from a thrifted pillowcase for the lining and some lovely floral fabric I won in Emma's fabulous giveaway ( blogged about here ). I added some pretty gingham ribbon to tie it closed........

I've been wanting to make one of these for ages and I'm so pleased with it .
Have a great Bank Holiday if you are in the U.K. ...I'm at work but I'm sure the boys will have a great time with their Dad, then it's back to school on Tuesday .
Jacquie x