The times they are a changing...

This week is a odd week at work with so many people I have worked with leaving this week.  One of which is my boss from my first ever proper job!  Anyway, I was asked to make him a cake for his "retirement" and here it is;

Apparently he's a big rambler and this kinda looks like him!

Let's hope he likes it, he's leaving on Thursday.Then my boss from my current job is also retiring, so the times they are a changing.... TTFN ~x~

The world according to Harry...

Today my sister Kelly has had the day off and it's also my Dad's birthday so we thought it would be nice to give him a birthday lunch, nothing fancy just sandwiches, crisps and a shop bought cake (I didn't have the time to make one!).  So Kelly and I decided we'd take Harry, my two and a half year old, to the shops for provisions, he was great going around the shops, pointing out things he knew and not once asking to go down the toy aisle.

He growled a little bit at the checkout lady, but hey I thought it looked more like a toothy grin and I'm sticking with that story!!

On the way out he spots the kids rides, well because Aunty Kelly was with us he was fortunate to be treated to a ride on Jay Jay the Jet Plane, which he loves;

Three rides later he hops off, Kelly and I ready to make our way home, only to jump onto the Bear in the Big Blue House Boat! Bless him, he was oblivious to the fact these rides cost money;

One ride later and we are both thinking this has got to be it?!?  Oh no, not Harry, he jumps onto Barney's Train or "Choo Choo" as he so eloquently puts it;

All I can imagine is that he's thinking "Why ride one, when you can ride all three...". That's the world according to Harry....TTFN ~x~

Busy, busy, busy...

Yesterday I was pretty busy! Jack had football training in the morning, so the whole family decided to go and watch him, he was pretty good and will begin playing next season. Harry had a field day with not just one, but two playground....one of which had a sunken ship in a sand pit.

When we got home I cracked on and made this;

It was a lovely big chocolate cake with chocolate butter icing, for Jack's friend Max' birthday party today.  He is mad about football, a bit like Jack and had a fab football party.

I have three more cakes for following two weeks and three wedding cakes over the summer. I'm going to be busy, busy, busy. TTFN ~x~

Folksy Finds on Friday...

This week those crafty guys at Folksy have done some great work.

This weeks theme.....Button Art.

1. Floral button picture ~ £30.00 @ Blooming Buttons
2. Blue Button Fish Canvas ~ £15.75 @ Doodle Dandy
3. Owl Wall Art Framed  ~ £30.00 @ Emmelina
4. Personalised Button Heart Picture ~ £40.00 @ Charlotte Ranford Designs
5. Bright Flowers Framed Collage ~ £25.00 @ 100 Percent Delicate
6. SMothers Day Canvas ~ £14.00  @ Pretty Petal Handmade
   

I am a huge fan of buttons, I adore them and have mine stashed in beautiful glass jars, so I can see all the wonderful coloured buttons I have. I love using buttons to make art, I have listed my blue fish above from my shop on Folksy, so as you can imagine it's one of my favourites. However I love the simplicity of the Personalised Button Heart by Charlotte Ranford Designs, what do you think??  TTFN ~x~

The Purity of White...

I have been looking around the blogosphere for sometime now for inspiration on interiors and design, particularly for my bedroom. If you remember I was keen on some Amy Butler fabric on my Easy like Sunday morning post and had decided to make a patchwork quilt.

Well since then I have got completely hooked on white....yes white!  I have a board devoted to white on Pinterest, called The purity of white, check it out because the pins are beautiful.  Anyhow, this board along with some of the following inspiration from blogs I follow, have inspired me to have a white bedroom!

This beautiful bedroom can be seen on Marley and Lockyer, along with some more stunning white inspiration, I was thinking I could substitute the pink with duck egg blue, what do you think?

And the bedlinen that Patina White features is beautiful too, I have since bought a matelasse throw and shams for my bed, but I am, keen to buy this Ofelia throw which can be found at IKEA for £20.42.

I wanted a little colour though, so have decided on duck egg blue. Laura Ashley have beautiful duck egg blue fabrics which I am coveting at present.

Nothing is finished as yet (the window in my bedroom needs installing first!) but it will definitely be these colours. So now all I have to do is find accessories to go with the colour scheme and paint some furniture, get a new window and.....wow lots to do, until then....TTFN ~x~

Folksy Finds on Friday...

It's that time again, where we celebrate the talent of those Folksy fellows....

This weeks theme.....Soap.

1. Handmade goats milk cupcake soap ~ £3.75 @ Heart and Sew Gifts
2. Lemon meringue pie soap 130g ~ £2.50 @ Soapalicious
3. ***Butterfly Bliss*** Soap ~ Vegan ~ £3.75 @ Oracle Lake
4. Funky Felted Soap - Union Jack ~ £6.50 @ The Rainbow Rooms
5. Lego soap- Large lego brick soap (duplo sized) ~ £1.10 @ Bits N Bobs
6. Soap - Skull and Crossbones ~ £2.00 @ Little Green Caravan

Although I don't really use soap, other from washing my hands on occasions with it (normally we use liquid soap), I  love the lemon meringue pie soap in this selection and I think my boys would love the Lego soap. Whats your favourite? TTFN~x~

The Easter Bunny is on his way...

Easter is not far off now, the eggs have been in the shops since New Year (well maybe not that long but not far off!!!) and it's got me thinking on what I can make for Easter decorations.  Several people have also asked me if I would be making anything (to sell) for Easter too.

Anyway, I decided I might need some inspiration, and because I follow so many blogs, I figured what better place to find inspiration than there.

I just love these painted eggs which I found on A Field Journal, I'm assuming they are made from real eggs but I suppose you could use plastic eggs instead and use the right paint? Or maybe I could decoupage them with some pretty tissue paper.....ooh the ideas are swimming around this brain of mine!

This is super cute from First Lady of  the House and so simple to do, I have a great collection of card stock at the moment with some lovely Easter colours, I'm sure I could recreate something similar.

This is such a lovely Easter decoration from Pottery Barn, and American store (okay not technically a blog, but I still like looking at it).  Unfortunately, it's no longer available to purchase and they don't ship to the UK.....major disappointment here!  Still, I could probably make something very similar, although I'm not sure I would want to sell it!!

And last but not least, this gorgeous Easter wreath from She's {Kinda}Crafty, made from ribbon scraps.  I think it's just lovely!! Alternatively, I could just make some pretty Easter plaques....hmmm, I think I'll sleep on it! TTFN~x~

Fancy a nibble?.....

I have just discovered Groupon, a new social network that you buy deals for a discounted rate.  Well, my pals Sarah and Julie were truly up for the deal of the day during the week....

30 Minute Garra Rufa Fish Therapy at Orba Originals  

Garra Rufa Fish originate from Turkey, they do not have any teeth, they gently suck the dead skin away leaving pores unblocked and the skin feeling totally fresh. During the removal of the dead skin, the garra rufa fish produce an enzyme called diathanol which improves skin regeneration. The new skin feels softer and healthier than before. Early research to uncover the medical benefits of fish therpay include:

• Relief of eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis
• Improved skin regeneration
• Promotes blood circulation
• Improves stress levels
  

Anyway, we are booked in for the 9th April and the salon is in Camden, so I'll be saving some pennies for a trip around the market and a nice lunch!  I can't wait for my day out with my pals. I'll let you know how it went....TTFN ~x~

Folksy Finds on Friday...

I just love looking around Folksy to see what other talented, crafty people have been making and it was a great week for Folksy Finds on Friday!

This weeks theme.......St Patrick's Day!

1. Primitive happy st patricks day blocks ~ £10.00 @ Tigerlilly Primitives
2. ' luck of the irish' pendant ~ £8.99 @ Cutie Pie
3. St.Patrick's Day Brooch/Badge ~ £4.00 @ Jayney Mac
4. Shabby chic top of the mornin' to ye irish blocks ~ £6.99 @ Kristi-Krafts
5. Lucky shamrock clover charm SP earrings ~ £3.00 @ Cordelia's Jewellery
6. Leprechaun Hat - Padded Door/ Wall Hanger - St Patrick's Day ~ £9.00 @ Patchwork Cottage Crafts

I especially like the Happy St Patrick's Day block and the Top of the Mornin Block, very me!!! Anyway, wishing you a very Happy St Patrick's Day for next week. TTFN ~x~

My Love of a Wreath....

As you may be aware, I'm a bit mad about wreaths and in a previous post I told you about the wreath I was in the process of making....well I'm still in the process of making that one!!  However, in the meantime I have made  this cute yarn wrapped wreath.

I need to restock my Folksy shop, Doodle Dandy,  and I found lots of inspiration on my Pinterest board, A Wreath to Remember.

I wrapped the polystyrene wreath in a lovely grey yarn, which I did over a few evenings....it may have been quicker but half way through the process I had a complete melt down with the yarn which had become knotted and very messy, so I had to sort that out first!

Then I decided I was going to put a cute white felt flower on it, I basically cut some petal shapes out and kept sewing them together until I was happy.  I finished the flower with a small pearl embellishment.

I wasn't entirely sure if it was going to be a shelf wreath or hanging wreath, but went with the hanging wreath in  the end and made a plaited yarn hanging ribbon.

Well here it is, I'm really pleased with it, but a little unsure of the hanging medium.....hmmm....then just gotta decide how much to charge for it on Doodle Dandy! TTFN ~x~

The House of Pancakes

Today is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day as most people know it.  It is when people use up all their fat, butter , sugar and eggs as it is the last day before Lent when Christians traditionally give up rich food for 40 days.

So keeping with tradition, we have eaten pancakes!!  It doesn't really bother me to be fair but my boys love them.  Now normally I would stand there and cook up a batch to order, with the obligatory lemon and sugar......but this year I kinda cheated!

Marks and Spencer is a godsend, so we bought these yummy pre-cooked pancakes with a lemon sauce;

and then I saw these chocolate chip buttermilk pancakes and the normal buttermilk pancakes with a butterscotch sauce, and you just can't have pancakes without ice cream!!

Here's a picture of the boys with their's, Jack had seconds!!!

So there it was done, quick simple and not as much washing up!  They tasted okay too once warmed up, so maybe next year our new tradition will be shop bought ones, who knows! TTFN ~x~

Folksy Finds on Friday...

I've decided to try and commit to posting more often than I have been, I love looking at other blogs and have noticed that a few people post about items they find on Etsy, which has inspired me to create a new post each week called 'Folksy Finds on Friday' which will have a theme each week and be products I have found that I think are great!


So here's my first post, this weeks theme is........Door Stops!

1. Beach Hut Door Stop BH869 ~ £16.00 @  The Purple Beach Hut 
2. Ship's Cat Door Stop ~ £10.50 @ Millicent
3. Pink spot Millie mouse doorstop ~ £12.00 @ Heart and Sew Gifts 
4. Gene the buttontastic chicken doorstop  ~ £14.00 @ Swirly arts
5.  Scottie Dog door stop ~ £19.99 @ Kardsnmore
6. Pear Doorstop/Bookend ~ £12.00 @ Lily Sweets Handmade Treats

I just love the mouse doorstop, so cute but would not go down so well with my boys!  I think my favorite one is the buttontastic chicken doorstop called Gene! TTFN ~x~