Flowers and a spotty windmill

Things are still very much up in the air at the minute... To try and take my mind off everything that's going on, I have been trying to keep busy doing bits and pieces in the garden... it's not finished yet, the other side needs quite a lot of work still but this side is nearly done at least. Mum came down at the weekend and we built a flowerbed with log rolls and some tent pegs! Not the way you are supposed to do it I don't think, but it worked! Do you like my spotty windmill?

xxx

p.s thanks so much for all your comments, emails and messages from my last post. Even if I haven't replied directly, please know how much I appreciate them all at a time when things are so very difficult.

Squares, hexies, plants and weddings...

I've started another crochet project... which is actually very bad as I have quite a few on the go now. I really hate to have projects unfinished but I can't stop starting new things!

I made these teeny squares last night whilst watching telly... I tried three round ones too but they looked too big somehow, so I've decided two round ones are the way to go. They are super small though so will probably have to make over a hundred of them! I want to make a second cushion for the sofa, one which will kind of match the hexie one I'm doing... 

The duck egg blue in the hexie one I have substituted for pink and red in the little squares one. I don't want them too samey but hopefully they will co-ordinate nicely as they will both have the green/cream in them.

I have nearly made all my hexagons, I think I need four more to go then I can start joining them. I was supposed to do this before I started on the squares but I just couldn't help myself. I bought a couple of new balls of yarn yesterday, (the deep pink and the red) and I *needed* to see what they looked like made up! I also stocked up on some more Tilda fabrics, aren't they just so pretty??

This week has been an odd one really. I have been here by myself for a whole week now, as Karl is away abroad. I'm usually quite good with my own company but I have been quite bored this week though I've tried to keep busy to pass the time. At the weekend, I spent quite a while in the garden doing odd jobs - not pretty planting ones, but mainly ones that involved being up a ladder with a saw! I was chopping down a load of branches that were overhanging into the garden... I think if anyone saw me doing it they would have laughed -  especially as I was wearing bright blue 'mad professor' safety specs! I am one of the least practical people you could meet and I'm quite small (only 5' 3'') so it was quite a tough job to do by myself but it looks loads better now.

Anyway we're going to give the grass it's first mow soon (excitement eh??!) I've ordered the compost for the flowerbeds and have been trying to decide on the plants to get. I am thinking a mixture of summer bedding plants and perennials such as...

and...

and...

and...

Pictures courtesy of here and here

To be honest, I'm just going for plants and flowers which I like the look of. I have no idea really whether our garden/conditions will be right for them but I guess I will find out soon! I think I am going to be very much a trial and error gardener :)

Anyway I have also been busy with work... lots of weddingy things mainly. I have had quite a few orders for these as wedding favours lately...

Also had an order for 8 of these to do this week for wedding favours... and quite a few of these too. In fact there was definitely a wedding production line going on!

And keeping on the wedding theme, I also designed a new card this week...

 

These has been an idea in my sketchpad for so long now, months and months, I'm really glad I've finally got around to making up the samples!

Right, I think I better go. I've been writing this post for ages and I'm not even showered or dressed yet! And actually I haven't even had breakfast! I did get up at seven though so not really sure how it is now 10 o clock. I do love working from home sometimes :) Anyway hope you have a good weekend... Am very much looking forward to it myself after my lonely week... the sun is supposed to shine (here at least) and Karl is coming home tomorrow, yay! Back soon xxx

Spring has sprung!

 

I came back yesterday from my week away, and feel so much better for it, really refreshed and inspired - it was just what I needed I think! I couldn't have picked a better week off weather wise - it has been gorgeous every day, with blue skies and temperatures into the twenties. It's been more like mid summer than the end of March, though today  it's back to the cold and grey. I hope that wasn't it for the nice weather for the year!

I love spending time with my family, I don't get to see them often enough because we live so far away, so it was a lovely week. We took a few day trips out but because the weather was so nice we also were able to sit around outside quite a bit. I took all my blanket yarn so spent lots of time making squares in the sun, happy days!

Mum and dad also wanted to find a planter for their courtyard, so lots of wandering around garden centres was done looking for one. Needless to say they didn't actually find what they were looking for, but I really like pottering around looking at the plants and flowers especially as the weather was so nice...

 I thought the little coloured watering cans filled with  primroses were so sweet!

I so love spring flowers, so happy and bright and colourful after the dark grey days of winter...

We need to do our garden this year. It is basically just soil at the moment because when we moved in last year it was getting towards winter so we decided to leave it for a few months. Not really sure what to do with it though - it is quite a small space, but sure we can do something nice with it! Need to get some gardening mags/ books really for inspiration.

I managed to make another 90 squares for my crochet blanket this week in between trips out. I've changed my mind so many times on the colours - I started out with turquoise, pink and red (my fave colour combination!) but gradually decided a slightly paler, more Spring like palette was the way to go. I'm still using my Stylecraft yarn, so it was quite difficult to decide on colours which were different enough to the other two blankets I've made, but that would also compliment each other. 

This is what I have decided on at the moment...

What do you think?

It reminds me of crocuses with all the purple, yellow and green so just right for the time of year! I've now done about 140 squares in total. I'm not really sure how many squares I am aiming for, probably around 200 then it will be the dreaded joining together (really not looking forward to that bit)!

I also came back to some lovely post including Master Sorrel...

I bought him from the lovely Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet and I LOVE him!! Such pretty colours and so beautifully made, he is happily living on my new pinboard which I actually made at eight o clock this morning... (Told you I was refreshed and inspired,  I couldn't wait to start making again!)

I just covered an old board with some wadding and pretty pink floral fabric using my staple gun, then stapled on some criss-crossed ribbons and hammered in some upholstery tacks - sure they neighbours were impressed with the noise so early on a Saturday (actually their cars had gone so I'm hoping they weren't in).

Anyway have just popped some of my favourite cards and bits on it for now, though I'm sure I will fill it up soon enough! I love to make spontaneous things like this for the house, I just don't often have time. Some mini bunting is next on my list though whilst I am on a role!

I also bought this....

... after reading about it on lots of other people's blogs. Only had a quick flick through whilst I had my breakfast but it is so up my street - lots of colour, pattern and inspiring ideas, it is just gorgeous! You can buy it here and also check out Selina's fab blog.

I also got another super exciting delivery in the post too - but more about that next week - it will include another giveaway too! Anyway hope you have had a good week too, and have been able to enjoy the lovely sunshine while it lasted! Take care, will be back soon xxx

A little bit of everything...

Hi all, hope you are having a wonderful weekend:) Well, as usual, this past week has gone by far too so fast, I can't believe we are nearly at the end of March already. Have been enjoying the sunshine as I've been out and about this week, and it's even been warm enough to have the window open in my studio too, so nice! Have been sewing lots this week too -  Wednesday morning I think it was I designed this pretty little handbag mirror, appliqued with my most favourite  of floral fabrics, with 'Best Mum' stitched in the centre.

I wasn't going to do any specific Mother's Day items this year as I've been so busy lately I just hadn't had the time to design anything new. But the idea just came to me, and I'm quite pleased with how they've turned out - I think it's the summery colours, they just look nice and cheerful don't they! Anyway, as I am so late off the mark with the whole Mother's Day thing this year, I've only made a small batch, but if you fancy treating your mum, you can buy one here, I'm sure she would love one, hint hint!

Talking of Mother's Day though, these 'I heart' mirrors have also been selling well this week, most of them are along the lines of I love My Mum, Nan, Granny, Mummy...etc, which is nice - lots of much loved mummies and grannies around! I feel a little like I have been glued to the sewing machine lately though, so am having a day off from it today, but I do have a (growing) pile of these to make up tomorrow.

For the last couple of days I've also been working on another trade order, which I somehow managed to get finished and sent before the weekend - result! It included lots of my printed cards, as well as a selection of magnets and badges such as my little frog and flower magnets. They all arrived in their new home safely this afternoon (I will be doing a separate blog post on this lovely stockist soon) which is fab, am very impressed at the speed of Royal Mail - for once!

Sewing frogs, butterflies and flowers yesterday did make me feel that spring is definitely here, although today the weather is disappointingly overcast and grey....sigh! 

Since I am supposed to be having a 'day off' though (not sure I really know the meaning of those words) I ventured out into the garden this morning, planting up these gorgeous primroses I bought this week. Love the purple and yellow combination, they are very cheap and cheerful, but that's just what I like! It's lovely to look out of the window and see such a splash of colour.

I'm not really much of a gardener it has to be said, although I do really enjoy it and wish I had both a bigger garden and more time to spend in it. I would love one day to have a really lovely rambling cottage type garden, with wild flowers growing everywhere, lots of different grasses and chickens wandering about, but for now I will have to make do with my flower pots:)

So anyway, I best go, it's taken me ages to write this post for some reason! Not sure what I shall be doing this evening, though I may do a little more tinkering with my blog - do you like my new blog buttons down the side? (the ones that link to my website/facebook/twitter). The old ones were just a bit big, so have streamlined them a little, and I have to say I quite like them myself. I also really wanted to get rid of the grey line around my photos in my posts, but can't for the life of me work out how to do it. Have a feeling it may be something to do with the template I've chosen, but any advice would be much appreciated?! 

Anyhow, thanks for stopping by, I hope you are all having a gorgeous weekend, Jenny x

Sunshine and Daffodils

Seems like ages since I last wrote on here - oops! Have had a busy couple of weeks making lots of badges but have also been relishing the spring sunshine which has been streaming in through the windows this past week. It makes such a difference to be working in a lovely bright room after such a long dismal winter! In an effort to bring a litle more sunshine into the house, bought some lovely daffodils too, which bloomed magnificently making me smile every time I walked past them.

Have also been enjoying my morning walk to the post office every day. Only takes 10 minutes, and it is a lovely walk through the flower-y park and up the steep barton (narrow alley) to town. The daffodils look so pretty in the sunshine - trust the only day this week I have actually remembered my camera is the only day it's been cloudy! Typical... 

Orders have slowed this week and I've had a chance to do a little of my other design work too. I think the sunshine has influenced me - my recent work has had a distinctly summery vibe! Here are a couple of the new designs I've been working on for my Pingg collection. 

These designs have been done entirely on the computer, something which I very rarely do, since my sewing machine usually always has a part to play in some way. Really enjoyed doing these though - It's nice to do something a little different once in a while and it keeps things fresh which can only be a good thing!

Anyway, let's hope the sunshine returns soon, can't wait to get out in the garden and do a little planting. Hope you are all having a good week too...

P.s Hello to all my new followers, lovely to see you here, thank you for visiting :) I've been a bit rubbish this last couple of weeks, have quite a bit of blog reading to catch up on when I get a minute, so I will hopefully pop in on you all soon x