Spring is in the air...

...even though we woke up to a thick layer of frost this morning.
However Spring is poking it's head up with the daffodils and crocuses.  I have especially been 'feeling it' in my sewing.
The last few weeks I have been embroidering the Daisychain Sampler pattern from Alicia Paulson's Rosy Little Things shop.  I an sewing it in floss rather than crewel and I have been loving it, finding it remarkably soothing and one of the most enjoyable things I have ever made.  I realise as time goes on my true crafting love is hand sewing.  Something I began to learn/feel as I was sewing hex after hex together.  I haven't really tackled embroidery much before, a wee bitty here and there and a dip of the toes in some cross stitch, although I discovered I'm not keen on that. This is my first real foray into such a varying amount of stitches.
Take a looksee...

My cool wee Loftus on the Hipstamatic and north facing window are not doing the colours justice so 'here's one I took earlier'...

 I made this wee house for my Kindle too, copying some of the flower designs from the above pattern and adding a bumblebee and sunny buttons.

I put wadding it it for protection and am glad I made one myself  but I never enjoy using a sewing machine as much as I continually think I am going to.
No doubt I'll make an Autumn/Winter house for it too.  Love my Kindle.  Much easier to stroke cats whilst reading...

I cannot leave without a photo of cake, too pretty to leave out.

Take care, my lovelies.

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The 52 Marvellous Makes Madness Challenge - Weeks 33 and 34!

Hello, hello bonny bloggers.  

First things first, my oven is mended, yay!!!  Relief....must bake something today (am thinking scones).  There was a slight delay in it taking a few days to realize buying over the net was the way to go as our local shops were pants.  We managed fine without an oven in the main due to me having a cold over the weekend. Ladies you may know what I mean when I say, if I'm poorly not much meal production happens at the hands of Mr Biscuit. 

Why is it that after a busy busy time you catch a cold?  It's a bit worrying that the night before it hit I was handling cakes at the schools Birthday celebrations baking stall.  If any of you have never had the pleasure (???) of manning a baking stall let me tell you it's insane!!!  Unbelievably busy!  The teachers helping me didn't believe me when I said to get ready for it to get scary.  It'll be like childbirth, I'll forget how bad it is by the time I'm asked to do it again.  There are perks as you get to choose what you want before it sells/sells out, on this night meringues and cream, yummy!!

The Biscuits school was celebrating it's 40th Birthday and it was cool to see photos of Mr Biscuit all Ginger and clad in 70's brown fairisle jumpers.  Not so good was the idea to light lanterns in the playground, at one point it was like The Hindenburg, watching one burning away to nothing not very high up in the air.  All the health and safety plans went out of the window when people realized it was better to use a lighter rather than queuing to get to a designated lighter, it got a bit scary with kids running around chasing lit ones.  It probably seemed like a great idea in the meetings...

Eldest Biscuit was also in a production of Oliver.  School productions and assemblies are always a joy to witness.

So to business...

Week 33 

I find it ridiculous that no matter how many (cough four) pin cushions I have, when I am sewing I inevitably have to stretch my way around mess - messy pup remember? -  to reach whichever one[s] I have out to get a pin so I thought one of these fellas might be handy.  It is, I am happy to report!  A wee simple rosebud made of felt sewn on to a ring, easy peasy!

Week 34

A Fish[y] brooch.

Made for a birthday gift on a creative whim giving a bit of freehand/machine embroidery a go.  I'm not entirely happy with it but....  Made with felt, fabric from my stash and the dinkiest wee spotty 'love bug' button.  I like to describe these buttons as raindrops on fingertips.  They are available from lovepaperfish.com if you'd like some.

More weeks to come....

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The 52 Marvellous Makes Madness Challenge - Week 5!

Feeling quite back to normal today!  As the lovely Heather predicted no matter how much I pottered about yesterday I achieved nothing.  Should have sat on my bottom watching DVD's after all.  My Biscuits had a wonderful first day and came home very excited and full of news.  I always feel sorry for their Daddy at this point as they tell me about their day when they arrive home but by the time Hubby Biscuit comes in from work they cannae be bothered repeating themselves.  Shame!  Eldest Biscuit got all moody and teenager like by tea time, it seems you cannot be that 'up' without the come down.

So before I get back to cleaning I thought I would share with you my make for Week 5 of the 52MMM Challenge.  Youngest Biscuit is just entering his third year of Primary School and his teacher this year has never had a class of her own yet as she has just finished her probation year.  She was very excited yesterday photographing the kiddies as they lined up and during the holiday YB received a post card from her welcoming him to her class.  He was so chuffed to get a note from his new teacher as well as receiving post full stop.  She really made his day so I thought she deserved this as a wee thank you being so thoughtful...

...an apple brooch.  She loved it I am pleased to say! See below for my makes up to now and for a looksee at some other lovely peeps makes at Flickr.

I wonder what this weeks make will be?

X

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3 & 4

The 52MMMC Flickr group!

The gate clatters....

...and the letterbox opens followed by the loudest rattle of post falling on to the hall floor.  "Oh, Oh Goodness!!"  "Is that my buttons?"  Out of the chair she leaps forgetting it's a whirly one and nearly falls face first onto the floor.  There, there on the floor is a package with her name on it.  A squish and a shake later and it's definitely buttons, definitely those prize winning[s] buttons.

So she willfully rips carefully unwraps the paper to reveal a bounty of beautiful buttons falling out of their packet upon which she shows relief at not having to rip tentatively open and risk spilling the contents all over the floor.  Aah the joy!  The heart skipping delight!  The swell of happiness in her bosom!

Indeed a bounty of beautiful buttons!

She sighed again and again!! 

Once her heart had settled and her brain began to remember the world external to button love, she noticed the rest of her post.  

"A magazine?  Ooh a magazine!  Can't be Country Living........could be Good Food......and PANTS!   I hope it's not Hubby's boring car one, Classic Ford."   

"Wait a minute...wait one minute!", the cogs slowly begin to move, "Jamie? Jamie???"  

"Ooh..OOOOOH!"  A small memory starts to stir, getting bigger and bigger.  "OMG!  Didn't my lovely mother-in-law say on my birthday she was arranging a subscription for me?  She did, aah She did!  

"Yiiiiiippppppeeeeee!!!!!!"

A hop, a skip, a jump and a twirl later she smiles the biggest smile a lady can manage when she nearly killed herself hopping and skipping and jumping and twirling.  "That'll do pig!!" 

And that is the story of a happy Ali who cares not a jot she gave up yesterday's sunshine to clean, a sacrifice all the more considerable as today the sky is the colour of grey old pants, for she has buttons and a magazine.

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thank you lovely Jade xx

Luck of the devil!

I can hardy breathe with excitement.  Can hardly contain myself and am a little wary that some wee may escape as yesterday I won the most amazing giveaway prize.   

Wait for it..........

six

hundred

and 

ninety

three

::BUTTONS::

It's a bit much to take in.  I took part in a 'guess how many buttons are in the jar' game at LilyWhites hosted by the lovely Jade and I was the closest with my sign of the devil guess of 666.  Hubby reckons I need to buy a lottery ticket as I had already won a runner up prize in Thimbles&Crumbles giveaway earlier in the week ( which was just fabby already!).  It's amazing how winning something really perks you up and buttons, buttons  

B.U.T.T.O.N.S.  

I can colour co-ordinate jars - ooh my goodness!!   

I'll have to reorganize my wee desk for them - ooh the fun!!  

I know you get it fellow button lovers.  

 Isn't is the bestest prize ever??

Thank you Sarah and Jade for my prizes and in particular to Jade for sharing the button love!!

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