Summer shade

Hope you all had a good weekend. It certainly didn't feel like Midsummer here, any midsummer magic that went on was definitely under the cover of an umbrella. Wet on Friday, grey and dismal on Saturday and gale force winds yesterday. Our poor gardens don't know what's going on.



On Friday afternoon I finished something that had been sitting around for a few months now. I bought this old standard lamp from a junk shop and managed to persuade M that with a coat of paint and a new shade, the new shade being the most important thing as he was not very happy with the frou frou one that came with it, it was just what we needed in the corner of the living room.



Months ago I remember seeing on this gorgeous blog the most beautiful chair made by the very, very talented Niki. It was love at first sight! Florals, colours, pattern and patchwork, serious chair love! It's picture stayed in my mind.



I have been making lots of cushions recently for the living room. I know I'm stating the obvious here, but boy it's so much cheaper to buy some fabric and make the covers yourself and you get to plan what to do with the leftovers. I saved all the scraps, as you do, for a rainy day. This being a rainy day and my heart yearning for a taste of summer, I set to work on my lampshade. It was easier than I thought, newspaper pattern for the panels, quick sewing of seams on the machine and a blast of glue gun for the trims. Thanks Niki and Clare for the inspiration.



I'm happy with it, M's happy with it, the girls love it and the cats are very tempted by those bobbles! Our living room is light and airy and the walls are painted a very soft grey.



We have been slow to put up paintings and pictures in here and I'm happy with the mixture of pattern and florals in this corner - a summer's garden next to the sofa! I'm hoping it's not the only garden we'll be enjoying this summer.

"Wish you were here"

I made these a couple of months ago and was meaning to post about them but they sold before I got round to it. I then meant to make some more so I could show you but somehow along the way I got sidetracked.



Finally today I finished another couple of bundles of them to show.



They're made from vintage linen and are my attempt at mini postcard pillows. You all know how much I love old postcards and my love for the countryside and being by the sea, well I decided to put all those things together and came up with these.



I loved reading all your comments on our recent walk and wanted to create something that in some way captured some of those scenes, all these are of course images of a bygone age, more "Darling Buds of May" than "The Ragged Roses May ramble"
and much the nicer for it! I've put them in my etsy shop if you'd like to take a look.



I even managed to make myself a set to put in the bathroom.



It's been a funny old week, the girls have gone back to school and are really tired - Big Sister told me last night that she needed a holiday!



I know what she means though, she said she was feeling claustrophobic, and I understand that feeling when the sun is shining and you really just want to be free to enjoy it.



Free to go on long country walks, free to sit on a beach and hear the sea, feel the sand or just read a book. For Big Sister, free to run across the Downs with your arms outstretched, Ipod on and be alone with your thoughts.



I bought this book as a birthday present for a friend recently - The Fortnight in September by R C Sherriff. Has anybody read it? I'd be interested to hear what you think. I was so drawn to its subject and toying with the idea of getting a copy to read if and when I get to the mountain of books by my bed. Written in 1931 it tells the story of an ordinary family's fortnight holiday in Bognor Regis on the Sussex Coast.



Of course I'm interested in finding out how much seaside holidays have changed but in a way it's the domestic details that appeal and above all the hope that we all set by our holidays, the desire to escape just for a little while.

I'm not sure if the Ragged Roses will be going on holiday this year but I'm determined to make the most of any good weather that comes our way and I'm lucky to be living in a place that offers me both beautiful countryside and the sound of the sea.



Hope you all have a lovely weekend, we're off Springwatching!

The Rustle of Spring continues

Spring in the garden (but still no sun).



Spring in a cup (but not quite in my step)



Spring blossoms on Miss Blossom (and in my Etsy shop).



I realised when looking back on my blog that it was a year ago that I first started making these



- it's time for some flowers.

Mad March Hares

THANK YOU! Look at all those comments on my birthday post, it's been lovely reading them all, hearing from old and new friends. If you still haven't left a comment but would like to win the giveaway please leave a comment on the post below and a name will be chosen on Sunday (and that includes you Jackie!).



I can't tell you how disconcerting I've found seeing my face, albeit chubby baby face, staring at me on the computer screen everytime I've come over here. I'm not enjoying the experience at all so for my own sake, here's a quick change of photos. I really, really don't like having my photo taken as some of you may know and after a morning in town today I've just discovered that I really, really don't like clothes shopping either!!!



Anyway, moving on, these past few weeks have been jam packed with things going on. It's felt like the run up to Christmas but without the pressies at the end! The calender has been full of school actiivities, after school activities and each activity has involved major planning, a huge amount of time and at times huge emotional input (I'm talking teenagers, parents evenings, GCSEs). Oh that makes it sound as if my daughter's giving me reasons to be concerned and she isn't, quite the contrary. Sometimes it just feels that too much pressure is being put on our children unnecessarily and as a parent it's hard feeling so powerless - but that's another story. And thank heavens for white sheets! We've had one white sheet stashed in the dressing up box for three years now and it's done the rounds as a toga, greek robe and this week's Egyptian costume - it's the little black dress of the dressing up box.



Big Sister went on a day trip to Ypres on Saturday to visit the trenches and battlefields. This meant a very early start for everyone, 4,30am rise and shine and I hadn't really fallen asleep the night before and collecting again at midnight. We did spend most of Saturday feeling like the walking dead. She had a wonderful time, if wonderful is the right word for it. She came back incredibly moved by the experience and eager to learn more. In fact we've all been thinking so much about WW1 recently, it's made me re-read some of old fav books of mine, but I will blog about that other time.



I felt that I needed to make some "me time" last week and decided to do a little sewing. Well my little sewing diversion turned into a little obsession. After making a couple of bunnies for my girls I put a few in my etsy shop.



Some have little pouches to store small Easter eggs and some complete with a vintage Easter postcard. All have a little vintage bunny image gift tag.



It's been good to have a little go at something new for a change but now I must stop as our house is looking a bit too much like Watership Down.



Well it is springtime and you know what they say about rabbits!

Spring Greens

Have you noticed the change of colours in the shops? I've just got back from a quick trip into town and the shops are full of the most gorgeous coloured clothes in greens and yellows. A really good combination I think.



I've always loved green and thankfully it's a colour that suits me, the yellow I'm not too sure about and I'll be leaving that for Big Sister, who's been dropping a lot of hints recently about yellow shoes. These two colours sum up spring so well, even on a grey drizzly morning like today when I had nothing nicer than a set of revision Maths books to buy for my daughter (the poor thing, I really feel for her) you can't fail to be cheered when you walk round and see the new spring clothes in the shops.



The primroses are beginning to appear in the garden too. So many shades of green, fresh and vibrant around out there.
In my sewing box I seem to have at least ten spools of green thread. I don't know why I'm just drawn to the colours, whenever I see an old spool of cotton at the car boot I pounce on it.



This green is perhaps my current favourite, as much for it's name as for it's colour - "Dark lovebird", gorgeous! I'd love to know who has the wonderful job of coming up with these names. I'm going to go through my sewing box and take photos of my favourite names some time.



Earlier on in the week I managed to do a little crafting. Drawn again to these two colours, I made up a little Easter bundle for my Etsy shop. A trio of lavender sachets in green and yellow complete with a vintage Easter Card and floral postcard.



I also dipped into my little collection of china brooches that I wrote about recently and added the little floral lapel pin, which is attached to a gift tag. It is a little burst of spring freshness even when the sun isn't shining.

The sum of all parts

I'm not sure how it started, I think it began a few weeks ago when I bought these old brooches at the car boot. They were so pretty and were the perfect antidote to the grey January morning when I found them. They offered the instant promise of what was just a little way ahead, the flowers, colours and smells of early spring.



The next day I gathered together a bundle of fabrics that captured the colours of early spring, the fresh green of the shoots and sprouting bulbs, the yellows of the daffodils and primroses which are just beginning to appear in my garden and the deeper pink of the pansies and violas that are in my window boxes.



Looking through my collection of old postcards I found the perfect picture to sum it all up, it captured the colours exactly and the jug was just delicious. A posy of cowslips and violets in a lovely polka dot green jug.



And then, as if by magic M came home with this bunch of flowers for me! Anemones, tulips and tete a tete narcissi. I wish you could smell them the scent is delicious and the colours perfect. I couldn't believe that the flowers reflected so well what I had been planning.



I've had fun with this and am pleased with the results (I think!). A bunch of ragballs that capture this time of year and the promise of what lies ahead. I've put some on my hall table and made some for etsy.



The ragballs come in a drawstring bag which I've made in a co-ordinating fabric, the vintage postcard and a handmade label with a vintage image of some primroses on one side and "spring" printed on the other.



But that's not all - I couldn't stop there.



I suddenly wanted the blossoms of spring trees, the forget me nots and the soft greens that we'll see in a few weeks time. So I made another batch in soft pinks, greens and pale blues.



Another matching bag, vintage postcard and label. It's great being able to trace a path back to the initial idea and see how the parts all come together and it's provided me with a reminder of all that is lurking just under the surface of my garden and the pleasure we'll hopefully be sharing in a few weeks time - fingers crossed!

It's in the air ...

Well it was in the air on Monday and now it's gone again! For one day only the grey lifted and we had sunlight, It was enough to make me venture into the garden and peer round. My poor garden is looking neglected and unloved and I almost don't want to look out of the window. Hidden amongst the fallen leaves and broken branches that I never got round to tidying up, were these little fellows....



Signs of new life, Spring can't be far off. It does amaze me that something as delicate as a shoot from a tiny bulb can bear to show it's head in wintry temperatures and yet I don't leave the house without at least four layers on. It does make you feel optimistic though, I know February and March can be dire but it's great to have these little signs that things are moving forward and the days are getting longer.



The cats of course are still in hibernation and without the Christmas tree baubles to amuse them, they spend their days completely inert on the sofa. Except of course when you go out into the garden and then the fun and games begin. From being dead to the world to scaling the highest branch of the tree, this cat can do it in five seconds flat! She does like to show off and I'm sure she senses just how nervous I am standing underneath the branches trying to gently coax her down.



I'm slowly emerging from a mountain of hearts that I've been making for various stockists for Valentines Day. Most of them have been made using recycled fabric which I'm very pleased about. I have also put some in my Etsy shop, for the romantic amongst you. I have not yet listed any red ones, but if anyone would a red one please contact me. Judging by the amount of crafting that's going on around blogland it seems that we all seem to be thinking about St Valentines. And whilst I'm here I better tell you that as far as my love is concerned, I'm in the doghouse! I forgot to mention M's birthday last week. Well I didn't forget I made a concerted effort not to mention it. M's quite shy and reticent and I figured he would not want everyone to know. Well I gauged it wrong and apparently I've found time to mention anything and everything from chocolate to laundries and flipflops but not mentioned his birthday. So please readers, take a minute to wish him Happy (rather belated) Birthday!

Phew, glad that's done. It's my turn to thank Betty at She's Sew Pretty who passed this award on to me last week.




I have been reading Betty's lovely blog since I started blogging last year and I always enjoy visiting her. The award is for devoted readers who leave supportive comments on your blog. Well I think that just about covers all of you, I have never experienced so much support in my life before. I am going to give this award to all of you, your generosity of spirit never fails to surprise me. I would like to mention two bloggers in particular who have been visiting me since I started last year Heidi from Celebrate The Seasons and

Louise from Beachys Capecodcupboard, thank you for all your support over the months.
Before me and my addled brain get into any more trouble with members of the Ragged Roses household, "Get Well Soon" to my oldest daughter who's poorly at the moment.

Weekend Whimsy - Chapter 2

Well the girls are back at school. M's back at work, the house is clear of glitter and decoration and the weather is wet and grey! Yesterday morning at school I was chatting to a friend of mine about the summer holidays, we were saying that we both fancied a holiday that featured lots of beautiful countryside, the sea, fresh air and the chance to spend time enjoying our family. I'd earmarked the day for crafting and catching up on stock orders but when I got home what I came up with was very different to what I had planned. The view from the window was miserable, incessant rain and wind all day long - I needed to escape! Out came the vintage fabric scraps and postcards and I was on holiday again.



Nostalgic images of seaside towns and country cottages were just what I needed. Quaint and idyllic were just what was required! So in my Etsy shop is another nostalgic seaside bundle and a little package of thatched cottages and countryside. It wasn't long before I was thinking back over the drives we use to take to Devon when Big Sister was just a toddler.



Avoiding the busy roads we would follow the coast road through Sussex and meander through the New Forest, take detours through lovely villages in Dorset and find ourselves in the most delicious countryside. surrounded by cottages that looked like they hadn't changed in centuries. We'd potter on to Devon and follow the coast down to our destination, glimpsing the sea every now again and crossing fields with foxglove filled hedgerows and rolling hills.



Isn't it funny how the mind plays tricks on you? How it edits things so dramatically. If I think again about the journeys I also remember stopping every hour on the hour to change nappies, find food, check the map, repack the car which seemed to contain the entire contents of our house and holding our breath and shutting our eyes as enormous tractors would appear from nowhere on single country lanes hurtling towards us! I remember reaching our holiday home, exhausted and frazzled, vowing never to do the journey again and of course returning the following year for more of the same.



The lure of the countryside and sea has always been too much for me. It would be hard to pick a favourite. Could you choose, land or sea?



More whimsy here - look at these lovely badges I bought from Samantha as stocking fillers for the girls. Samantha has been very busy over at Plump Pudding producing badges with vintage fabrics and nostalgic images. My daughters loved them and I was very hard pushed to hand them over.



Another rainy day today, so I've brought a little bit of sunshine in. My new set of ragballs are covered in this lovely bright, fun floral fabric and embellished with colourful lace flowers. Nothing subtle here, instant sunshine and smiles. I've made myself a set and there's also a set in my Etsy shop too.



Finally a very big "thank you" for all your lovely comments on the last post. The chair has survived and is living happily in our bedroom. I also need to let you know who won the giveaway - drum roll please: Ruth from Oh So Vintage, if you're reading this, you've won! Little Sister chose a random number from the numbered comments and number 45 it was.
Hope you all have a good weekend and find time for a little whimsy of your own.

It's getting nearer ...!

Isn't this cushion gorgeous? I bought it from Niki last week. For a long time now I've been visiting her website as well as her beautiful blog but have always been too slow! Others have got there before me. Last week I struck lucky and pounced on this cushion before anyone had the chance. I love the vibrancy of the floral fabrics she has chosen and it certainly looks very cheery on my eiderdown! Niki always chooses the most gorgeous fabrics and lovely colour combinations. Hopefully, we'll be putting the Christmas tree up next weekend so that'll mean lots more colour and sparkle around the place - I love it!



Well it's December!!!! I realised this morning that usually December seems to be an assault course to get through. Shopping, cleaning, school plays, recitals, shopping, colds, coughs and other lurgys, more shopping and a constant crossing of fingers and checking of calendars to make sure that yes, you have paid the school office for Christmas Dinner, the costumes for the school play have been taken in on the right day and that somehow by the skin of your teeth, everyone gets through to Christmas Day without too many glitches.



Last weekend we tried a different approach. Taking full advantage of having a relatively free weekend, before the onslaught of pre-Christmas visits, school fairs, the visit up to the loft to find all the boxes of Christmas decorations (note the word "all", why is it that every year boxes of decorations go missing?), we decided to invite friends over. On Sunday we had a house full of friends and children and it was lovely - it was a chance to enjoy the moment and not get caught up just yet in all the planning of what will be happening in a few weeks time. It did us all good to take one eye off what would be happening and to enjoy something that was happening now. Spontaneity can be good!



On the craft front, I have finished another pompom order for Made in Hastings. These ones are white 'snowball" pompoms hanging from white ricrac. I made a big batch of them and have put some in my Etsy shop too. I'm planning on having some hanging from the fireplace this year, just out of reach of the cats' paws! Wouldn't it be lovely this year to have a white Christmas?

Drawing Inspiration

My youngest daughter won a huge tin of coloured pencils as an art prize at school this week. She is hugely proud of them and has been rearranging them in their tin ever since. They certainly add a burst of colour to a very grey week. I am very proud of her and very pleased that her enthusiasm for art was picked up on. When I was at primary school I use to love the trays of coloured pencils coming out for us to use and would spend an age just staring at the colours before choosing. I remember vividly the two that were my favourites - a soft lilac and an aqua green that I used as often as possible and I think even as a teenager remembering colouring in a diagram in biology in those colours too! Unfortunately my enthusiasm for colour has not improved my drawing skills. I did well at school when we had art exams, copying flowers etc but to this day am unable to draw people! I have nothing but complete admiration for people who can and am awestruck by how easy they make it look.



I started shopping for gifts this week and made a very hasty retreat after a trip to the local shopping centre which was heaving! Sitting in the comfort of my home with the computer in front of me with Etsy and other bloggers to feed my Christmas pressie buying habit, I don't think I'll be venturing out much again. If, like me, you love buying prints, you might like to visit the creator of this print - Belle and Boo. I know most of you know her already - but if not, go visit her Etsy shop in time for Christmas. I wish I could draw like that!



This print, Tree Hugger, captures beautifully just everything I would like to portray about my oldest daughter. She has it hanging above her bed and loves it.



This print, Patience Brown, reminds me of my youngest and is adorable. We've bought lots of pressies from her and I visit her site with trepidation as I'm always enchanted by whatever she produces. Go and have a look, it might make you need one less trip into town ...



The other week, Lynda, very kindly nominated me for a Friendly Site Award. Thank you Lynda! Lynda lives in Canada and has just opened an Etsy shop too if you haven't visited her before. You probably know by now just how impossible it would be for me to choose just one, two or even three of you to pass it on to. I am surprised daily by the warmth and friendliness of all of you and to choose would just be too hard. Instead perhaps we could all try to visit a blog we haven't visited before and make some new friends along the way (it beats Christmas shopping hands down!).



I'm sorry If I haven't been round to visit much recently - I will try and catch up, I can't believe it's December tomorrow!
Have a good weekend.

Weekend whimsy

Ever since I was a little girl I have found it very hard to imagine that the weather anywhere else in the world could be different to ours. Whilst we were suffering grey, dreary interminable winters it was very difficult to picture people on the other side of the world basking in golden, unbroken sunshine. The other day a comment left by Louise on my post reminded me of this. Whilst we'd been holed up because of the rain, she'd written that her family had been doing much the same, but taking refuge from the heat and sun rather than the cold wintry storms.



Another Louise has been sharing her beautiful, atmospheric seaside photos with us. I love windswept, deserted beaches in the winter almost as much as when they are sun drenched in the summer. Living on the coast I think I prefer visiting ours in the winter, when the crowds have gone and the wind has picked up and you can really hear the waves crashing along the shore. M and I used to walk down to the beach every Christmas Day before we had children, it was exhilarating and romantic. Summers at home find us driving a little further along the coast to more deserted, quieter spots to enjoy.
Inspired by the two Louises I had a rummage in my evergrowing vintage postcard collection and found some images to share.


This is a Victorian postcard showing one of our favourite beaches in France, a solitary figure walks along the beaches, shielded from the sun by her parasol.


I wonder what she would have made of this little creature?! Same beach, same spot, a century apart. A solitary figure taking her first very tentative steps on soft, silky, sinking sand. This is little sister when she was just a year old.



It took a while for her to get the hang of the feel of the sand on her feet and she would just drop down in a puddle of seawater, jump up and resume walking, her nappy getting heavier and droopier with every little sitdown!



Another bundle here of Nice 1923, looking nothing like I remember it! Sidmouth in Devon and another one of our favourite beaches - Blackpool Sands in South Devon. We use to go there a lot for summer holidays when Big Sister was a toddler. Come rain (usually rain) or shine we would be down on that beach playing. Lovely, lovely memories.
I have also been keeping some vintage linen that had some lovely seaside images on it. I decided this week to put the two together. Lavender sachets made from the seaside fabric coupled with some of the postcards - little bundles of seaside nostalgia in my Etsy shop.



I hope you all have a great weekend, whatever the weather (Now I think I'm sounding a bit like Gardener's World!). Bye

Let's just stay in

It was only while eating dinner last night that we realised that the youngest hadn't been outside at all this weekend. Not that any of us had braved the weather for any length of time. M took the car to the garage on Saturday and collected a curry with the oldest in the evening and I did a supermarket run yesterday. That's it, the sum total of fresh air intake in 48 hours! Most of the time was spent in front of the fire and I have to say it was lovely.


Having just written a post about how much I love the sunshine it does seem strange to be now admitting that I quite like wet weekends. It's not that I want it to happen every weekend or that I want arrangements to be cancelled or anybody's fun to be spoilt. It's just that now and again, when there's nothing planned, there's nothing better than being holed up at home and doing nothing. ( I use to love rainy days off school when I was little, I remember the smell of my mum's cooking and how cosy it always felt, no matter how poorly I was). The winter is the time when my home really feels like home, when there is no inner imperative to be outside making the most of the sunshine, when there is no pressure to keep up with the gardening. It's a time to enjoy my home, enjoy the sanctuary that it offers, the warmth and security that the children love and that lovely feeling of shutting the door behind you, knowing that there really is no reason to go anywhere in particular for a couple of days.

This of course doesn't always work. Two daughters in self-imposed confinement can be a recipe for disaster. But, thankfully, this weekend, was different. Big sister was feeling particularly benevolent and spent the most of Saturday indulging her younger sister's whims to play with her. Little sister spent most of Saturday afternoon teaching M to salsa (no mean feat) and to show off her newly acquired salsa skills. If only we had CCTV installed, this was a lesson guaranteed to brighten up anyone's grey Monday. I haven't laughed like that for a long while ...


So lots of hotties, eiderdowns and card playing this weekend. M got a chance to listen to his records and I got a chance to do some crafting (extremely rare at the weekend).

This little hamper shows the growing array of goods now in my Etsy shop. Lavender sachets made from my bumper lavender harvest this summer and some of my fabric stash. I also had time to make a set of 4 smaller pompoms in lovely bright colours. They would be great as Christmas decorations, hung from a window, tree or drawer - perhaps added to some gift wrapping to add that extra bit of fun! They're all made from recycled fabrics too.




One of the best things about this grotty weather is that you no longer need any kind of excuse for this. Eating chocolate, drinking chocolate (can you see that little cube of chocolate in cellophane? - solid drinking chocolate) - perfect stocking filler!

Now there's no reason not to be able to bathe in it. I've never seen four people so eager to have a bath before (oh and it's organic so it must be good for you!). Of course when the weather get's really bad then eating and drinking chocolate whilst bathing in it is definitely called for!

For Sale - Two bedroom cosy cottage

Pretty two bedroom country cottage for sale - very cosy! Pink front door and polka dot chimney. Pale blue windows and cheery red roof. Guaranteed to keep your pot of tea nice and warm.

It must have been writing about the cottage I made for my mum in my last post that made me want to make this tea cosy. She loved her tea and she loved country cottages too. Anyway, on Friday night I decided to give it a go, A roaring fire and pile of chocolate kept me going and by Sunday evening the cottage was ready! I've put it in my Etsy shop if anyone wants to have a look.



Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on the last post. It was quite a personal one for me to write and very hard to put into words. so huge THANK YOU! Several of you asked to see the original cottage I sewed for my mum when I was a schoolgirl. Well here it is (thanks M for going up to the loft to have a rummage) - very idyllic and not unlike the ones we see when we're out walking. One day ...
Have a good week

Why?

I have been tagged by Tracy at Pink Purl to do a meme about why I craft. Having read the very interesting and entertaining answers that both Tracy and Anna have given to this meme. I've been worrying about doing this for a while. It is hard to write about something you love doing without sounding insincere, but in a nutshell, if you can't be bothered to read on, I do what I do because I love it!



1. When did you start to create and make crafts?
I have always been one for making and doing. Because I am an only child I am quite a shy creature and do enjoy my own company. I remember spending lots of time in my bedroom busy presenting Blue Peter showing the world what my latest creation was, always involving lots of egg cartons and sticky back plastic (and I'm pleased to say that I've caught both my daughters over the years doing their TV presenter bits in their bedrooms showing off their latest creations). I would love days at school when we could papier mache balloons, get the glitter out or make those stained glass windows with tissue paper for Christmas. I was (and still am) happiest making things or reading. I remember always asking for paints for presents and asking my mum to show me how to knit and sew. A favourite time of mine was when a very old Aunt would come and visit and she would always bring an old tin of brooches for me to play with, I loved the colours and sparkliness of them.



2. Why did you start creating?
I don't know why I started creating things. It is just something that I always enjoyed doing. It never felt right unless I had a project on the go. I loved giving my creations to my mum, who in best mummy fashion would adore them. I remember when I was younger that my mother always wanted to live in a cottage in the countryside and I bought a tapestry kit and made her a cottage surrounded by trees and flowers. She framed the picture and it hung in our hall for years - when she died it was lovely to get the picture back and it always makes me think of her.
Unfortunately I went to a very academic school and although I was good at Art I was encouraged to drop it in favour of History. At the time it wasn't a big deal but now I wish I'd stuck to my guns. But in a way perhaps what I liked about the creating I did when I was younger, was the fact that it could be done in private and not be judged.



3. Why do you create?
This is a hard one. I create because I need to (gosh that sounds a bit pretentious!). What I mean is that I need to be making something, my head is always full of projects and ideas and I know that I am perhaps just downright miserable and frustrated if I can't give them a go! I love colour and really enjoy using it, similarly, I love seeing shapes and patterns appear in my ragging. When I was a student, wherever I lived, the first thing I would do was buy a pot of paint. I had to add colour to my surroundings and make it my own. So perhaps like for most of us, I extend my love of making things to my surroundings too. I have done pottery and mosaics courses and loved them both and for a while sold my mosaics with a friend - but it is ragging that suits me best. The best form of recycling for me, creating something from nothing, from something that would have been thrown away. Giving things a new lease of life.



4. What do you create?
When I first started to ragrug I tended to make bigger pieces that were for my use. rugs etc. As time has gone on I have made smaller pieces for people to buy. It takes a lot of fabric and time to keep on making those rugs! Tea cosies seem to be a happy medium for me, scaled down rugs with a purpose! I like to have a go at most things and am enjoying playing with my new sewing machine, some days I feel like tackling everything but most days I stick to what I know!



5. Has this changed since you began crafting?
Things do change and evolve and there is a huge difference between what you enjoy making and having around the house and what others might enjoy. I look back and see things I made a few years back and enjoy following the trail back to the present. I can't thank everyone who reads this blog enough for giving me back my confidence and allowing me to indulge in what I love doing. I am constantly amazed at the wealth of talent and support that bloggers show.



6. What are your crafting goals for the future?
I am really enjoying making lots of things for Christmas and putting them in my Etsy shop and would love to be able to carry on with Etsy and I am loving being able to supply shops with my things too. Best of all, wouldn't it be lovely to have the time to make all the things that we would love to have a go at? Similarly wouldn't it be great if they turned out as wonderful as they are in our mind's eye!?



Well, that's it, very personal and sorry to have gone wittering on for so long.
I've always thought of myself as a person who plays it safe and never a rule breaker but this blogging business is bringing out the rebel in me - I think the rules of the meme are that I am meant to tag 5 other bloggers to answer the above questions. Well let's just forget the rules, if you want to join in and tell us why, feel free! Have a great weekend and pop over to read Anna's and Tracy's much more interesting and illuminating answers if you've got the time.
See you next week.

What year is it?

Yes we did make it out on Friday! For some strange reason everything fell into place, the oldest went off to her sleepover, dressed as a corpse bride and returning on Saturday looking more like a zombie (without the help of make up, thanks to no sleep!). The youngest decided to be a little angel, enjoyed being alone with the new babysitter too. So off we went, me, M and two other male friends who's partners had also had babysitter problems and were forced to stay at home (must have been something in the air on Friday). We went to see Iron and Wine play and were immediately transported to the late 1960s in California, what a beautiful, beautiful sound, well worth all the stress of earlier on in the day. Beautiful!


We came home expecting little sister to still be up, watching TV with her new babysitting friend and were somewhat surprised (perhaps that's too mild a word} to find little sister tucked up in bed and , somewhat disconcertingly, a teenage boy sitting in her place on the sofa! He turned out to be very sweet and apparently was there keeping the babysitter company whilst she sat for us and her other friends turned up (who were incidentally at the Iron and Wine concert too, instant boost to our credibilty ratings there!).



Lazy day on Saturday, time in the garden raking up all the leaves - haven't we been lucky with this weather? It feels like early spring and judging by the amount of bees and butterflies spotted in the garden I'm not the only one to think so.



A pile of cupcakes to reward the gardeners whilst we listened to party stories from both girls and I even found time to make some new things for my Etsy shop. I've just finished a mountain of pompoms for a couple of orders, so it was nice to do something different for a change.


Sunday morning I woke up early and went to the car boot. So glad I did - I found this gorgeous pegbag in the loveliest 50s fabric. Pink, aqua, dove grey and seashells, I'm in love. I also found some pretty little glass bottles in that lovely shade of blue that old glass has. One is an old Boots Chemist bottle, complete with glass stopper, another medicine bottle and a tiny bottle of Eiffel Tower lemonade, from the 1950s. They'll all go upstairs to keep some others company in the bathroom.


The weather was too good to waste yesterday and we finally persuaded Big Sister to muster up the energy to come with us to take little sister to the park.

Another time warp here as quite by chance, we stumbled into the Veteran London to Brighton car rally that was nearing its finish and was using the park as its final check point.



I'm not a great car lover, as long as my car is safe, reliable and gets me from A to B I'm happy, but there is something to be said for the beauty and romance of these old cars, well, apart from the trails of smoke they leave behind and the achey bottom little sister said you would have if you sat on a wooden seat all the way from London!

Pompoms, polka dots and postal strikes!

I finally finished my tea cosy order today, right on time! Just in time to hear that the postal strikes are on again! Oh well at least I get to enjoy having them around the place for a bit longer. This green cosy is perhaps my favourite of the batch. I particularly wanted a soft, springy green and dyed the fabric.

I'm pleased with the results and like the way the colour is slightly dappled and varied, it's just how I wanted it to be (for once!). It did mean that for a few days my hands were a rather eerie shade of green (I like to think of them more as that moment in I Capture the Castle when Cassandra has dyed everything green and resembles something out of the House of Usher rather than Incredible Hulk).


I've made a batch in pinks, lilacs, blues and aquas and have used as much recycled fabric as possible too.



I love playing with the colours and have enjoyed making this lot up.

When it's been grey and drizzly outside it's been lovely to have such a collection of bright, fun colours around the place.


The pompoms are nearly done too.



A few more to be completed when I've found some more fabric. I seem to be devouring fabric at the moment.



I love adding the trimmings to my pompoms and cosies. When the cosies are finished and the pompoms are cut, the sherbet coloured ricrac and the polka dots and checks of my ribbons are the bits I look forward to adding. Let me loose in a haberdashery and I'm happy!

Ups and downs

If only I'd have looked into my crystal ball ... I would have realised that the return to school had been a bit too easy. That we were slipping quite effortlessly into the routine and coping well with the early morning starts. If only I'd looked into that ball, I might have forseen that things were bound to go pear shape at some stage!
Well it happened this weekend. The girls had parties and shopping trips organised - we were, as usual, the acting taxi service, the catering corps and cashpoints. What more could a girl want? Well a 48 hour running battle with your sister would be good! It started on Friday night and ended at some point yesterday early evening, at some unknown time the girls had declared a truce and were able to spend some time together without a return to battle! I'm putting it down to being tired and the return of homework but this crystal ball predicts lots of early nights for the near future (take note girls if you're reading this!).
Also, sorry puss for not realising that you weren't just putting on weight in the old jowl area and that middle age spread was for some reason spreading to your face. That chubby little cheek look was in fact an abscess - sorry! Thanks M for doing the emergency dash to the vets! (No I couldn't find any pretty photos of that!)