Half Term Flew By ......

Monday came and went in the midst of changing Alice's and Em's rooms over, so Em could have a bit more space. She still has to put up with my sewing corner as that didn't change over. Tuesday was mostly more of the same except I had to go to the dentist for a filling - now I've said this before, but I am the biggest baby when going to the dentist. Its not justified though as my dentist is a gentleman and very understanding. When I got home Em had made me lunch and a very cute pipe cleaner flower called "Guenoladooless" It made my day. Wednesday we went shopping and had lunch out at Starbucks, Why Starbucks? because they are the only cafe that actually keeps labelled dairy-free food. Other cafes are not sure/don't label/or look at you as though you are speaking a foreign language when you ask if its dairy-free. Thursday we went up to London and visited Madame Tussauds which was brilliant. Em was delighted she could have her photo taken with Britney Spears and Shakespeare. Cool! We enjoyed it too although it was very busy. Friday we went to Ryde in the Isle of Wight. It brought back many memories of childhood holidays spent with my Aunt, Scruffles her little dog and Boy cat Long sunny days spent on Ryde beach cockling and building sandcastles with Mum. My Aunt died in 1993 and this was the first time I had been back. It was full of poignant memories. Friday evening Em went to Guide sleepover and had a wonderful time, she came home this afternoon happy and tired. In my previous post I mentioned the Handmade help appeal for the families/people affected by the bushfires in Victoria, Australia. I have now added the button to my page so you can have a look at the appeal too - you never know there may be something you could help with. I have also added the followers list to my side bar, please add yourself to my list. Happy crafting, Jane

A Helping Hand Down Under

Whilst wandering about in the blog world today I visited moogsmum and followed her link to TrashCan who is having a raffle with the Australian Red Cross to raise funds for the people who lost their homes and all their possessions in the Victoria state (Australia) fires last week. So I followed the link and donated some money. My Aunt lives in Victoria State and thankfully wasn't affected, but she did send us some newspaper cuttings which were shocking. Then I followed another Handmade Help button on TrashCan's page which took me to more appeals for help. The two that caught my eye were: The quilter that lost everything and another quilting friend suggested sending in one fat quarter each to help her rebuild her stash, she likes earth tones cream, browns, greens. The other was an appeal on behalf of a teenage boy who has lost his extensive book collection in the fire along with all his other possessions, A friend of his family suggests sending a book or donating a voucher for him to purchase a book, there is a list online. With Alice at Uni studying English Literature and with her having a huge collection of books which grows daily, and me, who loves crafting and sewing I suddenly felt there but for the grace of God go I. So I have promised to find a book or two to post out, and I'll see what I can find from my stash.
Meanwhile we are enjoying our half term, I hope you are too. Jane x

A Creative Day Out

As a result of our snow day last Monday I started to make a cover for our Cafeteria as I frequently find my coffee is drinkable the instant I pour it out. I measured very carefully and decided I wanted the cozy to be tall enough to accomodate the pot with its plunger still up. So I made a cozy 14 inches tall by 9 1/2 inches wide, and lined it with batting and cream calico. I am delighted with the finished cozy and our coffee stayed much warmer this morning. I have also finished knitting a very small jumper for Ali's bear but I won't post a picture just yet as that would spoil the surprise, although she does know about it.
Yesterday a friend and I went to the Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts show at The Brighton Centre. We had a lovely time as we found lots of lovely wool, both 4ply and DK. We treated ourselves to some lovely patterns as well as wool. My friend bought some beautiful 4ply wool in shades of purple and grey which she intends to make into a shawl or wrap. We also saw the Shaun's Pic-knit display which was amazing, every single item has been knitted especially for the display by knitters around the country. It certainly made us smile.
I hope you have a good week. Jane x

Snow Day

This morning we woke up to snow, then the best news ever - a 'Snow Day' as school was shut. So we built a snowman and then went for a walk around the village. It all looked very pretty and like the scene from a Christmas card. Though the ponies looked a little unsure what to do. Later in the morning Em built another snowbaby in the front garden, then This afternoon we went to admire all the other snow men/ladies that had appeared in the street. We've had a lovely day home and I'm experimenting with a cosy for our cafetiere. Jane x