An Easter Giveaway.......it's time!

****NOW CLOSED****

Morning to you all.  Does anyone else feel *wrong* because the clocks have changed?  I feel like I got dragged from bed kicking and screaming in the middle of the night.  My body clock feels totally off.  The sun has gone off on a mini-break too.  It started pouring here yesterday five minutes after I put the washing out on a nice Spring day, the sun was out.  Obviously his bags were packed and he was waiting at the car to go.  The heavens opened, serious, proper rain and it hasn't really stopped since, snow is predicted up here tonight and tomorrow.  So it's feeling very un-Spring like here but never fear I have just the thing............

photo used with the kind permission of Julie Williams, Little Cotton Rabbits.  All rights reserved.

....an Easter Parade of these little laddies and lassies.  Don't they scream SPRING?  I love these bunnies.  I love their ickle faces and their spring-y jumpers.  I love Little Cotton Rabbits as do most of the world as far as I can gather.  Getting your hands on one of Julie's creations is like trying to find gold dust.  As soon as any of her animals or cakes appear in her shop they sell instantly so the shop is almost always empty but that is OK.  Julie is not a knitting machine and she appreciates the demand out their for her creations as she has recently opened a lottery so more people have a chance of buying something.  Now I cannot offer you one of Julie's Bunny Egg Cosies, one knitted by her (as seen above) but I can offer the next best thing.  Cosies, knitted by me from Julie's original pattern available here.  They are lovely to knit and it's wonderful to see them coming to life as you knit and sew them up.

I am offering the winner two bunny cosies, one boy and one girl, in stripey jumpers, plus other Easter goodies  including chocolate, there has to be chocolate.  I may even give a second prize of one cosy plus goodies. 

In true Blue Peter style, here's one I made for me earlier........

let me introduce..

Isn't she adorable?  

I tweaked the design of the jumper for me as I love spots but the giveaway ones will be stripey like the original pattern designed by Julie Williams.  I have some lovely new wool perfect for spring.

So all you have to do to win is leave a comment on my blog telling me what you love about Spring  before the end of Easter Monday (5th April), GMT and I'll pick a lucky winner on Tuesday 6th by which point I'll be a year older and fatter as I am getting a huge Lindt Lindor Easter Egg because it's my birthday on Easter Sunday. 

Good luck!

X

An Easter Giveaway........*Teaser*

photos used with the kind permission of Julie Williams, Little Cotton Rabbits.  All rights reserved.

Come back on Monday 29 March for more details.

X

I want! I want! I want!......

I want this so bad......

The 'Sexy Hexy "Love" Quilt' kit with everything I need, measuring a lovely 178 x 189cm, three hexes by three hexes.

"Love loves to love love, to love love, to love"

and I do, I love

X

available here

and I love
 

my favourite LOVE album...x

Halt!! Hoot goes there?

Hello lovely ladies on this March Monday, I'd say bonny Monday but it's blowing a gale and pouring, really p.o.u.r.i.n.g with rain here in my part of Scotland.  Spring did seem to have sprung earlier this morning, the walk to school was delightfully sunny if a little chilly, still I'm indoors, it's relatively warm (off to hunt for slippers) and I'm filled with cappuccino.  I've been a wee bit crafty, as in partaking in some crafting as opposed to getting up to mischief you understand (well a little mischief!) making the above owl brooch for a lovely lady at my boys' school nursery where I pretend I have a career, as a Librarian on Wednesday mornings, my boys both went there and somehow I still help out, it is a lovely place to spend time and three/four year olds are adorable.  So the lady in question has a birthday next week so after spotting the owl a while ago here, I thought I'd whip one up.  He has funny googly eyes with beads as I couldn't cut such teeny circles, wishing I had mini brads (so ordered some from paper-and-string).

I made cushion covers yesterday while the men folk went on a boys day out to Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh and listening to a Doctor Who story CD....

Hamish feeling shy!

It's the two bigger patchwork ones and yet again something else done in the shades of milky coffee.  

I did get those cupcakes made eventually, vanilla with lime and coconut buttercream and the one I ate (not saying a word about others scoffing them!!) was delicious and most worthy of being photographed......

.....one of the photos I took reminded me of those dutch oil paintings of fruit so I had a play at Picnik.

Not quite as ornate as I wanted but still effective?

I also got some of my wool stash out.........

......in mind to making some of these.......

 .......from a pattern purchased from Ysolda, here.  

My 'like a little sister' friend is expecting a wee girl in June and won't these be perfect?  I'm also thinking of making a patchwork quilt for the cot inspired by these.......

.......from Cath Kidston's Sew book.  I have an inclination towards applique ducks as once, many moons ago, said friend played a duck amazingly well, spookily well in fact, named Quackers in a Panto.  It's lovely to think I can make pretty things in pink and buy pretty clothes, stripes and polka dots.  I get away with stripes (I do love stripes!)obviously with my Biscuits but not dots. 

Goodness what a long post, time for lunch me thinks!

X

Do you ever have days........

..... where crafting feels like skiving?

Where you really want to bake cupcakes, can't unless you go to the supermarche in the full knowledge if you do go (not being a driver it is more on an event) it will drain you of the little energy you have and will stop you from baking??  I do not like food shopping...

Where you have made that many visits to a kitchen cupboard for pieces of your Mother's Day bar of chocolate, you may as well bring the whole bar, have a cuppa and read a magazine...???

Where you know (like you have known all along) that you are a little bit mental because you are just a bit too pleased by this........

......a ball of twine???????  But it is on it's very own stand with an attached blade and everything!! 

I think I may be hormonal today!

X

Ladies......

I hope tomorrow you are all pampered or at least indulged............like me in being allowed to create a feast, lay a bonny table with just made napkins and serve home-made pistachio ice cream and chocolate petite fours in cups, saucers and sugar bowls for pud.  It'll be just lovely!!

Happy Mother's Day

With love,

X

Waiting for pain.........

Tuesday..

waiting room, forgotten book, hot and stuffy....waiting for pain.

It was expected after all, having missed my last orthodontic appointment eight weeks previously (a total of 14 weeks -eek!!) I knew I was in for a rather large bout of it.  It would be unfair to say the actual consultation is painful, uncomfortable is the word.  I get to lay down and have a lovely view of Edinburgh Castle, albeit a blurred view with my specs off.  My consultant, the lovely Dr GC is gentle with me and has the most trusting blue eyes but afterwards, when those wires have been changed, boy my teeth hurt.

I reiterate, why I let myself be talked into this brace malarkey I'll never know.  It was never discussed as a youth.  Not until I needed oral surgery (because someone suddenly decided that something that had always been there, now needed to go) a couple of years ago and had to pay a visit to the orthodontist and he (curse those trusting eyes!) wanted to *fix* me.  I think he actually saw it as some kind of challenge and when someone says two years you don't actually think what that means.  So here's me, metal mouthed with screws in my palate and upper jaw and elastics that thankfully only have to put on of an evening now but before for a long while, it was like playing Operation placing those things around the braces, only to be removed to eat, clean my teeth or renew (each day), not being able to open my mouth or yawn properly without it hurting or snapping the darn things.  Brushing has become an 'event' with extra equipment, Hubby always tries to get in the bathroom before me at night so he's not waiting for ages.

The 'two' years are up in August but would it surprise you that it's already gone up another six to twelve months.  I met a woman in the waiting room who had had hers for ten years...TEN...and it was her who first mentioned 'elastics' to me and I didn't have a scooby what she was talking about, but I soon found out.  That's the thing.  Dr GC never mentioned screws or elastics in the beginning.  I soon learned I only hear of the next stage as the next stage is coming up and I wonder would I have gone through with it if I had only known how much it would hurt.  How much I would yearn to bite into an apple or the doozy, that I can not have chewing gum as it degrades the glue holding the braces on.  The day Dr GC announced, as I was looking for a bin for my gum, that it would be my last until the braces were off, I almost turned on my heels back out the room. 

It's two days on now and when I woke this morning I realized my teeth were no longer hurting, still tender and a little sore when eating but bearable.  I go back in April for another dose of pain but there are perks........a spectacular male dental nurse who has the most exquisite accent, Spanish or Italian - I cannot tell as he doesn't say much (like it's necessary?!?) and manages very easily to draw my eyes away from a quite magnificent view of the Castle.

I'm sure you agree, fellow bloggers, it is vital to look for the positive in all things!

X

I am but a weak and feeble woman when it comes to......

****Cupcakes****

I had to, I just had to.  I'm supposed to be saving to pay for decorating.  I had my splurge last weekend with the monies saved for that purpose but already this week I have succumbed to the temptations of Ms Fish (hang your head, you Temptress!) and her glorious ribbons (see here and here for wonderful things) and today after fighting the urge for a few days I ordered this....

 

...from Amazon.  Can you blame me?  

I love the title:

    Eat me! The Stupendous, Self-raising World of Cupcakes and Bakes According to Cookie Girl  

It's thinking of Alice in Wonderland that did it before I even thought about the delights that are inside.  Or course Hubby will utter the question that shows the quintessential difference between man and woman.... 

"Haven't you got enough cupcake books already?" 

Duh!   

"NO!?!?!"

Can you EVER have enough books about cupcakes?

X

A sibling of Satan? A tongue in cheek review....

I want to share with you something I have been pondering over for some time, I know, like I haven't got better things to do but my mind does wander; my gut revulsion to this man......

 Derren Brown - he gives me the heebie jeebies.

In fact I would go as far to say he must be Satan's brother, the obviously not so good looking one (like Dracula or any Vampire, the Devil in human form should be gorgeous!) or as charismatic but still maintains the tricks.  I cannae watch him.  Hubby laughs at this theory (as you may expect) defending the whole 'tells you what to think and say' thing with hidden messages, body language and the like but me, I'm not buying it.  He's using evil Satan tricks and claims it's all slight of hand and suggestion just to throw us off.  Of course we all want to believe he hasn't really used evil magic but that he's really clever and good at what he does.  He's not fooling me.  No way!  He knows he's got the Devil's blood running through him, fooled us all that it's just a game but is so confident in the ruse he can use images like this....

 

...from his website (which I forced myself to go to for these images - Heebie Heebie!!) his eyes actually turn red in the photo.  A true image??

Now it may just be that what he does just messes with my mind and freaks me out and I, as always, have gone with the fanciful but like my theory that the Queen Mum was a robot for at least the last decade of her *life* as a way of stopping the crumbling of the Monarchy, I'm sticking to it!

X

Monday, Monday (ba-ra ba-ra da-da).....

Hello lovely people!  

I'm feeling tip toppy today after having a lovely weekend away in this bonny wee cottage down Selkirk way in the Borders.

 

  

  

Lots of tea, knitting, magazine and novel reading, jigsaws, charity and needlecraft shops, Baxters for soup and bread, cake and coffee and MORE shopping.  

Family.

Food.

Wine and

Fun Fun Fun!

Here's some of the goodies I got.......from the coolest wee needlecraft shop where we could barely move for stuff, jam packed with everything you could ever need....I had a blast.

The tin is my favourite, only four pounds fifty and filled with Gutermanns thread.

 From the local Red Cross charity shop...

  

and a mug that reminded me of the Good Life.

From Baxters......

and lots of Deans Shortbread and bits and pieces from the cookware shop.

Sunday lunch on the way home, Antiques Roadshow and crochet.

Even though I have a busy week ahead and my Eldest is on the sofa poorly I'm feeling pretty good, relaxed and happy!

Going away for a weekend can be a real tonic!

X