Little monkey giveaway and what's in the box?

As promised here is my giveaway to all that just comment (and have an email address where I can get in touch with in case you're a winner) So, no jumping through hoops/being a follower etc. I will post to most places in the world so it's not limited to the UK. Hop aboard, you never know, you might be the one that wins Little Titch.

Titch has been made with some teeny, tiny baby socks. He has felt eyes, cute little smile and with his beanie hat with a little red heart, he's all ready to come and live with you.
I will put all names in a hat and Head Honcho will pick one out next Sunday.

I thought I would add some extra photos of Titch so it will show up his size a bit better.....

                           Sitting next to a cork from a bottle of fizz (unfortunately not champagne but delicious all the same)

And here he is sitting on the atlas box and keeping whoever is lurking in there firmly under wraps :0D The little boquet of 'flowers' are made from teeny buttons.


And who is in this little box?

Tis a small little box made from an old atlas book.
I will show and tell next week :0D
One clue, I've never made one before!

This week link parties;
iamonly1woman
handmadeharbour
sewmanyways.blogspot
niftythriftythings
sewcando
thegirlcreative
creatingreallyawesomefreethings
lavendergardencottage.
thediydreamer.blogspot
craftionary.

Pull up a chair and sit down! Mini Sampler finished.

Have a seat while I ramble on about the mini sampler!

The mini sampler was finished a bit quicker than anticipated. Some squares were a lot easier to do than others.

                                    
                                            and here are the close ups.....

from left to right:
a pile of books, hopefully kindle will never take over from the real thing!

 My fountain is still stalemate, but one day eh.

I used to have a black handbag with jewels on back in the 60's. Should have kept it as it would be very retro.

A little pair of mittens to remind me of all those that were knitted and lost over the years.

 Little stitchy sampler.

Pair of high heels to match the bag. (Unfortunately I can't wear heels :0( but I do like them)

A bowl of apples....gotta keep healthy!

Love getting real letters as well as emails.

Fancy flowers.

All the hats I used to knit over the years to match the mittens.

All the knitting of little jumpers when the kids were wee bairns.

Got to include a monkey....yay

bottom row:
Sewing thread without which this sampler wouldn't have been made.
Large chocolate cake on fancy tablecloth. Got to keep our strength up.
Signed and sealed!

Top row;
A nice pot of hot tea goes down a treat with a piece of cake.
I don't have a cat, but this one is cute!
The hollyhocks.

From left to right
Top row;
A Scottie dog (I don;t have a dog either but you can't a cat and leave out a dog now can you!)

Daisy the caravan, with a fancy door.

Watering can (although we use a hose pipe, but this little can looks cuter)
A quote which I quite agree with :0D
An exotic birdie. Would be pretty cool if they came like this.
Gingerbread men that I used to make with the children.....oh the memories.

This section was posted last week.

The lighthouse is because I like them and HH has made a few for me for one thing or another.
The top of the hollyhocks, they go through 2 of the squares.

So there you have it all done and dusted. Except I think I will have to take the wheel of Daisy and embroider one instead as it wont fit behind glass. Also the label of my swanky pink garden shoes fell of so I'm thinking of fixing it on the veg patch. It says 'garden, just grow it' so seems appropriate.

So now it will be going to the framers for a suitable frame.

(In case you want to know the little chair has a beer bottle back and the wire thingy that stops fizzy wine shooting out)

And next week I will be having a giveaway so tune in for that.

Here are this weeks linky parties;
handmadeharbour
http://www.flamingotoes.com/
iamonly1woman
sewmanyways.blogspot
sweetlittlegals
linda-coastalcharm
chef-in-training
thediydreamer.blogspot
lavendergardencottage
michellestastycreations
craftionary
jannolson.blogspot

Cross Stitch Cats. Update on mini sampler. I've won a giveaway.

Hello everyone from a very windy tip of Scotland, although the sun is shining it sort of takes the edge of it when you get your hair all messed up in a gale :0D

This cross stitch was mostly done in the hotel in the evening when I was on holiday last month, so it just needed finishing off. This is a gift for my daughter who has two cats, one stripey ginger and the other grey and white so this little picture fitted the bill just purrrfectly (get it!) It's a design by Maragaret Sherry. She does the cutest animals. I think you name an animal and she's done a x-stitch of it.
                               
                                                Before the back stitch

                                        Now doesn't the back stitching make a difference!

and, no, they arn't best mates in real life, they tolorate each other....just! Cute eh.

I won a giveaway earlier on this week from with-u-in-mind. Wow, the suprises just kept falling out of the envelope.

It's hard to see just how many goodies were actually in the packet.....there were lots and already I have used a couple of things. Isn't that one-eyed monster super cute. My g.daughter is going to love him. Lots of beading accessories and what I thought were sweeties are actually charm/beads. So my other g.daughter is going to have fun with me accessorising them. Thank you again kat these will keep me going for a wee while! Pop over to her blog and see what she's upto.

As I've reached 200 followers and it's 2 years since I started blogging I thought I would host a giveaway, so watch this space.

This is an update of the mini-mini sampler that I've been stitching on and off this week. (If you click on the photo it should come up bigger)

Square 1; Quirky house
Square 2; the veg patch. Caulis, carrots, cabbage and onions.
Square 3; My pink animal spot wellies which is my normal wear in the garden.
Square 4; Where would I be without a cuppa, served in a china teacup of course!
Square 5; I love topairy so these two would be by my front door.
Square 6; not completed
Square 7; Washing line of kids clothes
Square 8; I can never refuse cake!
Square 9; I love this sentiment
Square 10; Bunting, for no reason but because I like it.
Square 11; Wanted to do a heart so googled for some images and this is my take on one such image. Sort of folksy I think.
Square 12; Hollyhocks. Love them. They also feature a lot in the old fashioned embroideries with crinoline ladies which I'm rather fond of.

Gosh, when you write it down it sounds loads. Even tho it seems quite a simple design they take ages to do as they are so small. I'm enjoying the process tho. (I have done a couple more of the squares but you will have to wait till next week to see what they are :0P )

I will be adding to these linky parties over the coming week, so stick around and find some more super blogs.
handmadeharbour
homemakeronadime
flamingotoes
iamonly1woman
sewmanyways
thediydreamer
finecraftguild
.handymancraftywoman
michellestastycreations

Mojo injection! Update on fountain.

A huge thank you to littlebluemouse for showing me how to put the title in the correct place! I was getting so frustrated trying to find out how to do it and it's something so simple as looking at the top of the post while writing, and, there it is!! So thanks again littlebluemouse and I'm sure she would like you to pop over and take a look at her blog.

I've had a bit of a mojo injection after losing it last week.....there it was just peeking out at me hiding in the weeds!

While I was browsing on Pinterest I have seen a couple of mini-mini samplers. I think that the one's I saw were about 1" square, but that's a tad to tiny for me with my eyesight so I'm doing mine 2" square (approx) The running stitch is with varigated red through to pink thread which stops having to keep changing colours. In the boxes you can put whatever takes your fancy. Of course my first box is a 'quirky' house!

I am going to put some things that having meaning to me and others just because I can! Also I might do some little embroidery samplers within the square.

The washing line represents all the childrens clothes I've washed over the years! The banners are in the 3rd box are....just because! As they are little pictures by themselves I thought that a square a day would be easily achievable. (here's hoping anyway)

The next thing I was having a go at is this...

We have a few very tatty coasters. So one of them has had a few coats of acrylic paint and then I'm going to............haha that's a secret :0P.......if it turns out OK then you will see, rotten arn't I!

For anyone who might have a smidgen of interest in the fountain fiasco, here it is this week....

Not much further on, but it has moved from point A to point B. haha. I wish I could just get on with it myself but I would need to eat a heck of a lot of spinach to get some muscles like Popeye to shift all those boulders etc. So looks like it's going to be one of those jobs that goes on and on and before you know it's winter time. The solar fountain probably wont work by then, although we have only had one day of brilliant sunshine this week, so maybe I am being over optimistic anyway!


Cheerio for another week and here are the linky parties;
http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.homemakeronadime.com/
http://www.flamingotoes.com/
http://sewmanyways.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/sew-darn-crafty-linking-partyweek-77.html
http://iamonly1woman.blogspot.com.ar/
http://thediydreamer.blogspot.ca/2012/08/from-dream-to-reality-linky-party-28.html
http://www.primpjunktion.com/
http://www.finecraftguild.com/party/
http://www.michellestastycreations.blogspot.co.uk/
 http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/summer-holiday.html
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.co.uk/

Gardening shoes a pile of stones and a white cushion.


I seem to have lost my craft mojo. Hopefully it will return with renewed vigour sometime. My time has been taken up with keeping weeds at bay so maybe that's the reason.

Anyway enough of the moans and on to this, which you might remember I posted about a while ago now. It is hand backstitched in red, with white machine freestyle embroidery and I wasn't very impressed with how it turned out, also I didn't know what to do with it at the time.....so it got shoved in the drawer and forgotten about.

As I was rummaging for something else, I found it tucked in the  drawer and made this cushion......

Which is now sitting on my bed......

Hmmm don't know why I photographed it like that! Anyway it has got a new lease of life and looks nice and fresh to go with my big pillows, and suits the quilt as well.


I received a present from daughter who went to the 'big city' and bought me these garden shoes.

 She knows me so well! Arn't they pretty, just right for slipping on when you want to step outside. (the only downside is they do smell of plasticy stuff, but outside you can't smell anything) Lovely roses of all shades of red through to pink. The black label on the side of the shoe says 'garden'. They will get a lot of wear!

Now into the garden. And we have these enormous boulders that HH wanted moving. He was going to give them to a pal but I said hang on I might have an idea what to do with them after they've gone!! Immediately a plan formed and I said 'we have the solar power fountain and a huge granite flower pot, if we sit the pot on top of the stones, we could have a nice fountain display'.

Famous last words they were sooooo heavy, even with the trolley. So now waiting for some sons to come and we can pounce on them to help shift them into the right place!
They are as tall as my wellies to give you some idea of scale.

 The trouble with them being so heavy you can't 'tweak' them into position. So have to make sure they are where you want them and that's where they would have to stay. Hoping that the 'plan' works out how it's in my head, which is a gorgeous fountain spray, burbling over the stones with some lush plants around it. (otherwise HH is going to be a bit annoyed that he did'nt give them to pal afterall! haha)

And here are this weeks link parties, do pop in and take a look;
 http://www.homemakeronadime.com/
http://sewmanyways.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/sew%20darn%20crafty
http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.to-sew-with-love.com/2012/07/crafty-saturday-party-79.html
http://thediydreamer.blogspot.ca/2012/07/from-dream-to-reality-linky-party-27.html
 http://www.michellestastycreations.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.craftionary.net/2012/08/best-diy-crafts-and-ideas-party.html 
http://juliejewels1.blogspot.co.uk/

Crochet covers for coat hangers and project polytunnel.


Hello all...as you can see I'm back. I had a good ole rummage around charity shops but came up with nowt. But Matalan was a different kettle of fish! Here are some items I got all reduced (of course)

Most are destined to go into Daisy Caravan. But here is a close up of this little kitsch potato scrubber. Isn't she delightful?

£1.75 so I swiped her up along with these teapot and cups socks.....I know, I know! But they were reduced a lot. Probably going to make a sock monkey or two.

 Isn't that white teapot a bargain. It fits nicely underneath the caravan teacosy that I made to go in  Daisy. A large citrus green bath towel £2.50 and the large stripey mug I will probably fill with flowers either real or made.

The cushions were all bargains being only a couple of pounds each mostly.  Being a bit of a shopoholic I'm so glad I don't live anywhere near shops as I would be in there permanetly with the 'I wants'!!! The apple teatowel you can see on the right has been made into little curtains for the kitchen part of Daisy. 3 teatowels for £2.50. My cup overfloweth......sorry gotta go and lie down now :0D

Onto crafty stuff and this involves some wooden coat hangers that I got at our local charity shop. As I've already posted about covering them and making them look a bit prettier, here is one I've used for a brooch holder-hanger.

Who knew there was so many brooches lurking in the jewellery box! Now I can see at a glance what's what. It also makes a nice decoration.

You may remember these long bits of crocheting...

They've been turned into these.....

All nice and bright and pretty! Should I put any in my Etsy shop? Some are going into the caravan so visitors have somewhere to hang there clothing.

 Fancy clothes need fancy hangers!

Onto garden news....

The polytunnel has been taken over by triffids....here is the before picture. Look at it now in just 2 and a bit months. It's been a bit of an experiment as to what to grow and I have to say we had a lovely crop of strawberries, so we want to increase them. Courgettes are doing great. Have never, ever, eaten one before (how did I get so old and never try one!) I understand you can put them in cakes so that will be good to try.

Lots of other stuff to numerous to mention. It's nice to sit in there having a cuppa and just meditate, it's really warm in there. The outside veggie patch is a success with peas....everything else is growing very slowly out there, but I'm sure will get there in the end.

I will be linking up with various linky parties over the week. So do have a peek at them and have a nosy at others blogs.
http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.homemakeronadime.com/
http://sewmanyways.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/sew%20darn%20crafty
http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/
http://juliejewels1.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/show-your-stuff-33-upsidedown-brownies.html
http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/
http://lovingthiscrazylife-melissa.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/its-piece-o-cake-linky-party-16-and-bit.html
http://juliejewels1.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/show-your-stuff-34.html
http://iamonly1woman.blogspot.com.ar/

Caravans and cosies.

Looking back over my posts I thought I'd already introduced you to Daisy the Caravan and as I hadn't here she is!

She isn't in her final resting place as yet and in fact I've not done anything to her since we got her apart from taking the curtains down. She is a 4 berth although it is more for 2 people if you like to spread out a bit. There is an awning that goes with it so that will make it a bit bigger.

I did make a teacosy for when there is a teapot!

The fabric is linen, the other bits are scraps of cotton and the path is painted with various shades of grey to look like stepping stones. Wouldn't it be great if real caravans could have such fancy doors.

A washing line with brightly coloured clothing and two little daisies growing through the grass.

This other cosy was one I made a while ago now. It is made from a woolen blanket and I love the bright spotiness.....

I would love to own a spotty teapot like this.  Winter and summer tea cosies. The wooly one is quite thick but I misjudged the linen wadding so it is a bit thin.

You may remember that I said no more monkeys.......well I shouldn't have. I was given a pile of socks by dd and as they are so nice they magically turned into some little monkeys.

Here is big sister Rosie and various sizes of her brothers and sisters. They will all be going into my Etsy shop soon.

Next week I want be able to do a post as I will be away from the computer for a few days.
In the meantime here are the party links;

http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.highlandsockies.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/caravans-and-cosies.html
http://www.flamingotoes.com/
http://www.homemakeronadime.com/
http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/
http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.michellestastycreations.blogspot.co.uk/
http://lovingthiscrazylife-melissa.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/its-piece-o-cake-linky-party-15.html

Cushions, table and crochet.



I'm sitting in Daisy testing out the wireless connection for the computer and it is working so visitors will be pleased about that!

Following on from the green patchwork quilt  here I had 2 squares left over so this week they have been made up into 2 cushions to match and they are destined for Daisy to liven up the interior a bit.

Of course the white patch in the middle looked like it could do with a Quirky House to finish it off!

The backs are calico fabric and my favourite and quickest envelope style back.

I didn't have a proper cushion to put into one of them so it is a sort of filling from something else that I had so that was squished in (not as fat and plumpy but does the job) Daisy looks more cheery all ready! Why do caravans nearly always have beige/brown interiors. I'm itiching to paint everything white but need to get myself into a mind set to do it as I know I will get half way through and think, why on earth didn't I listen to Head Honcho when he said it looks OK as it is. (but once again what does he know, he's looking at it through a blokes eyes..... sorry if any blokes are reading! :0D )

We had a joint project this week. HH put aside some bits that he thought I might be interested in from the shed

I did have a photo of all the bits, well, in bits but it seems to have disapeared....anyway...the bottom and leg are from a lampstand and the top is from an old table which HH dismantled. He had to insert a rod down the leg as it was the only way to keep the table top on, so the top does have a nut on it (no, not me ;0p)  which I hope wont spoil it to much.

2 coats of primer and 2 top coats later. Now I have to think what to do with it......HH is no help, he says your on your own there as he's done his bit! Maybe decoupage/painted something/mosaic.....who knows.....if you have any good ideas do let me know.

It is good as a prop table instead of my freezer tho

The kettle (ebay of course!) matches the quilt/cushions perfectly. There was a lush looking pink one but I wasn't allowed that one :0(  so you can see a sort of greeny theme going on here for Daisy......but of course it might all change :0D

Did a bit more crocheting which I hope to finish for next week.

Told you the table made a good prop!!

Party Links;
http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.flamingotoes.com/
http://sewmanyways.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/sew%20darn%20crafty
http://www.homemakeronadime.com/
http://www.kammyskorner.com/
http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com
http://www.michellestastycreations.blogspot.co.uk/