}

Saturday 30 April 2011

The Best Royal Wedding Photo

Ah wasn't it grand? I loved seeing London decked out in all it's glory. It was lovely to see Westminster in Royal Party mode, it is such a busy place that more often than not, when passing through, you forget to appreciate the architectural grandeur, such a beautiful city we have, I felt very proud to be British yesterday!

Whilst Kate's dress was divine, Williams bungled attempts to place the ring on kate's finger made us chuckle and the Queen remained predictably stoic, the biggest laugh was by far this little monkey....

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Ah, a photo speaks a thousand words. What a perfect shot, I expect this little girl will be showing that photo to her grandchildren one day, and chuckling at the joy of it all.

Now, someone really ought to kindly point Eugenie and Beatrice in the direction of a decent stylist, how do these two always manage to get it SO wrong?

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Friday 29 April 2011

It's Growing.....

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I'm finding this scrappy patchwork somewhat addictive!
Thank you for all your well wishes, I am back on my feet and working like a dog again.

I am SO excited about my scrappy quilt and cannot stop thinking about it, more soon...

Friday 22 April 2011

One block later...

I did come home that night and complete another block, I stumbled to bed at around midnight and complained of feeling dizzy, I thought it was the tiredness, but the next morning I had a raging temperature, swollen glands and pounding headache. I slept for 24 hours straight, and this morning I only got out of bed because my body aches too much from lying down for so long.

So now I am toiling with the guilt of not being at work (knowing Simon and my colleagues will take the brunt of my workload),  that my mum is looking after the kids - who are off school for Easter. Ambear has stayed home with me to be my nurse, bless. It's nice her and I have some together time, we don't often get that, my sweet eldest and I.

So here is my block... extremely wonky.

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I may be absent from this space for a couple of days whilst I mend. Wishing you all a most wonderful Easter <3

Wednesday 20 April 2011

Time

In my world, there are simply not enough hours in the day right now.
Time rolls forward relentlessly at such a pace I can barely catch my breath.  I work an average 80 hours a week, as does Simon, and so it goes on, and on, and on.
There is of course some point to all this madness, but that point is not to be laboured upon here, for frankly, it is simply too long winded and perhaps not all that interesting to most folk.

When time is short, it is precious, and precious things ought to be treated with the utmost consideration and valued for all they are worth. Time is indeed precious to us right now, as a family, as a couple, as individuals. Time together and time alone. It is the time alone that Simon and I struggle to find the most. When we are not working in the literal earning money sense, we are working as a family, caring for our home and brood and trying to enjoy quality family time. There is just not much left over at the end of it all for alone time.

All that said, I am learning that it is amazing how much one can achieve when time is against you. How much you can pack into a few hours or minutes. I am learning what is really important and what is quite insignificant.
Each week I am hit by a great wall of tiredness, each week it is greater than the last and just when you think, surely it cannot get any worse, it does, and yet we carry on, of course we must.

Winston Churchill said 'When you're going through hell, keep going' and really what choice do we have? You learn how strong you are when you are required to show strength. I realise I am rambling now, the end point is this. The more tired I become the more alive and capable I feel.
 The less time I have the more I seek to find and eek out minutes here or there. In short, I am incredibly productive right now (by my own standards at least) and in some perverse way I actually relish the challenge of dragging my sorry arse out of bed each morning and telling myself that 'Today I am going to give a little bit more', I have to, and I do.
I have momentary lapses and minor meltdowns, sometimes I just head outside for a breath of fresh air and a sob, but carry on we must, and we do, Winston Churchill was a wise old bastard, wasn't he?

I came home last night at close to 10pm. I have felt a  rising sense of frustration in recent weeks over the lack of me time, specifically time to create. I try and do a little each day, but as the great wall of tiredness has become greater, I have created less and less. Last night I came home and told tiredness to get bent. I came home and set up the sewing machine and silently began sewing bundles and bundles of strips. My time, precious time, I'll take it whenever I can. Sometimes sleep is overated.

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So, I made a start on the Scraptacular Quilt, a good start, and then I slept like I have never slept before. Cried like a baby when the alarm clock rang out, and got up and did it all over again. Tonight, I am sewing some more, tomorrow I will cry like a baby again when the alarm goes off, and so it goes on... It's all good though, when your head hits the pillow and you mentally tick off the To Do lists and creep a little bit closer to the end goal, all the while enjoying the little victories against time, it feels oh so good.
When this madness is over, I will never take time for granted again. Oh no.

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Tuesday 19 April 2011

Ambear's Cheesey Biscuits

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My big girl was baking up a storm in the kitchen this weekend. She made these cheesey biscuits from  The Great Big Glorious Book for Girls - now I must say, if you have a daughter or sweet little friend aged 7-11 then I would highly recommend this book. Ambear has had it a few years now, it is battered and falling apart but she comes back to it again and again. It is filled with projects, recipes and other secret girl stuff!

Anyhow, back to the biscuits. These were super easy, an ideal recipe for kids to tackle alone with little supervision. They were very tasty and Ambear was most pleased to note that by the end of the day there was nothing left on the biscuit plate except crumbs, a true indication of success me thinks!

You will need:
100g (7/8 cup) Cheddar Cheese grated - we used extra mature because we like strong cheese
100g (4/5 cup) Self raising flour
120ml (1/2 cup) Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  • Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4/350ºF
  • Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork
  • Flour your hands and surface and press the mixture out until it is about 1" thick
  • Cut into rounds or shape of your choosing
  • Place on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 8-10 mins until golden brown
 We had to add a little extra olive oil as it was a little too dry and crumbly to shape, I think plain flour might yield a more crunchy biscuit, so we will try that next time.

Ambear has also been busy making lots of sweet little things from Polymer Clay, she is like a child possessed and has turned out oodles of teeny tiny dolls accessories and pretty charms. These dinky little cupcakes are my favourite, isn't she brilliant?

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Monday 18 April 2011

Sometimes Smiles are Overated

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These photos were taken only seconds apart, such is the changeable moods of my boy!

Sunday 17 April 2011

5 Riotous Successes of the Week

  1.  Finally put away the Great Wall of Washing (much bigger than China's)
  2. Made a start on a birthday gift for the Hoozel's friend (inspiration collage below)
  3. Made a start on the mending pile, stitched up holes in crotch of 2 pairs of pyjamas (why are holes always in crotch area, should I be worried?
  4. Completed one item from Crafty To Do list, woop!
  5.  Blogged ALMOST every day!


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All of the items above are from my crafty stash. The little dress to the right is a Blythe dress and the London Bus is an embroidered reverse applique I made a couple of years ago.

What good stuffs did you do this week?

Saturday 16 April 2011

Music to My Ears

I have been working on my Crafty To Do list and trying to cross off those UFO's.
This little embroidery has been kicking around for almost FOUR years, but now it is complete!

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The pattern is from a Japanese sewing magazine, I picked out my own vibrant colours. I have no idea what I will use this for, am thinking a cushion for Boo or Bear.

The cows have returned to the farm at River Cottage for spring and summer. I rather hoped to get some nice close up shots of them, as there are many a wee calf and they are so sweet, trotting to and fro and chasing birdies, quite playful. Alas, they were over the other side of the field today, but I will try again tomorrow.

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I leave you with a few shots of the spring landscape around River Cottage and some prettyfull flowers that are in bloom in our garden, including the apple blossom, finally!

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A very merry weekend to you!

* Vintage Scrap Quilt
* OMG WTF Banner
* Woven Cloth
* Toiletry bags for Amber and Hazel (started in 2008)
* Christmas Tree Fairy (started in 2008)
* Patchwork Curtain Tie Backs
* Secret project for a special friend 1
* Secret Project for a special friend 2
* Secret project for a special friend 3
* 4 cushion/pillow covers (deadline mid May)
* Elephant bag from Wee Wonderfuls book
* Embroidery (started in 2008)

Friday 15 April 2011

Button Button Who's Got The Button

If you love everything stitchy, whether it be collage, clothes making, softies and what not, then you will surely love a good button. Red buttons, blue buttons, old buttons, new buttons, buttons are lovely aren't they?
I am a button fiend, I collect them from here, there and everywhere, and I love digging through the button tin to find the perfect button for my project.

I recently stumbled upon the mother of all buttons, from the most perfect button maker. Indeed, a BUTTON MAKER, imagine being able to introduce yourself as a Button Maker 'Hello my name is Tallulah and I am a Button Maker', how wonderful! Anyways, I am not a button maker of course, but Laura Walker is, oh yes.
This incredible artist not only creates the most wonderful buttons, but she also uses them to dazzling effect.

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Who would have thought such a beautiful array of buttons could transform an otherwise simple dress?

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Laura's buttons are created from ceramics, each intricately formed, in an array of prettyfull hues, there's eye popping red and sweet baby blue's, as well as a lovely selection of neutral colours with delicate patterns.

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Indeed, I dare say, there is a button to suit all in Miss Laura's Etsy shop, Veronica Buttons.

There are also pretty ceramic tags....

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She also embroiders and creates one of a kind art pieces unlike anything I have ever seen before...

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Indeed, a button maker after my own heart. Do pop along to her (not so often updated but charming all the same) Blog and say a cheery hello. Laura also posts photos of her work on Flickr, and you can find out more about her buttons and what not at her very own Website.

Thursday 14 April 2011

Tackling the Mending Pile

The mending pile has grown in recent weeks, so I have been diligently working my way through it.
It is an ever growing task in the Hoola household, on account of 1/ A rather vicious washing machine that is prone to shredding bed linen on occasion and 2/ Our wayward dog Pip who likes to chew ears, eyes and other bodily parts off soft toys.

I settled down at the dining table and set about my tasks. First an old Ikea duvet cover, which for some reason unbeknownst to me never had any fastenings for the opening, resulting in the duvet spilling out each night and thus requiring much stuffing back in each morning, irritating to say the least.
Said duvet cover got the scrap treatment with a variety of pretty fabric ties, and some recently thrifted pillows which were kicking around were treated to a pretty purple crochet trim.

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The savaged soft toy pile was attacked with needle and thread.
Boo's rag dolls got new eyes and one leg sewn back on.

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Mr Penguin got a new eye patch to cover the gaping hole in his head where Pip had mercilessly attacked him.

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Mr Owl has sat atop the mending pile for some time, blind in both eyes following a particulary violent dog attack. He received new eyes made of felt and vintage buttons, and new feet made of felt.

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Ambear joined in the fun and made a nifty little felt dress for one of her wee bears (she has a thing about bears).

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All in all, a productive mending session was had by all, well Ambear and I at least. Rag dolls were quickly returned to the Boo who promptly set about picking at their new eyes with a plastic fork (le sigh) and the soft toys were placed safely back on the shelf in Ambear's room, out of reach of Pip the Destroyer, and with renewed joy at being able to survey the appaling mess of an 11 year olds bedroom once more, my what a view they have.

What is in your mending pile?

Wednesday 13 April 2011

Looking a little bit closer

When the sun is shining, we all troop outside and bask in the glory of Spring, and being bang smack in the middle of a working farm means there is always plenty to see and do.

It is easy to take your surroundings for granted. After all, when the eyes casts themselves upon the same thing each day, that element of joyful surprise is lost, and sometimes the eyes simply do not see what is right there.

With this in mind, I took a stroll around the land and farm at River Cottage with camera in hand. Zooming out and zooming in, looking at my daily views with fresh eyes and a new perspective.
Heres what I found....

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Farms are a wonderful source of rust and decay, which close up makes for wonderful and inspiring pattern ideas and neutral colour ways....

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Little ones and cheeky smiles are always to be found when the camera is in action...

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What can you see when you look a little closer?