Well, Andy is home tomorrow (hopefully - weather dependent) and I haven't achieved anything that was on my list of things to do while he was away. It has been a fairly stressful week, and the chilled out feeling I came back from holiday with is a dim and distant memory. I had planned to really sort out the house ready for Christmas (we are having only our 2nd ever Christmas here and I want it to be really gleaming in preparation), along with fixing things, painting and sewing. Sadly, none of these things have occurred! I did have the girls round for wine and nibbles on Wednesday which was really nice, and had been planned for ages as Andy was out of the way! Aside from that I don't know where the time has gone.
So, I just had to cheer myself up with a little retail therapy. And oh, how it works (that and wine)!
The glass bowl will look great with some Christmas decs or the Hersey's Kisses Andy had better be bringing back from the US! The candlesticks have joined the others on the mantelpiece and have already been put to good use. Why must people ruin a lovely box of decs with parcel tape? Still, I love the colours and no one but me will ever look at the box, so I don't suppose it really matters! The fabric in the background is a tea towel for £1.99 from Cancer Research. I am going to go back and buy a few more to make into cushions for my dining room chairs.
This little jam pot was £1!
This will look great covered in mince pies.
This is for all my embroidery floss which is in a plastic bag at the mo.
And this little beauty was my find of the day. It is Queen Anne bone china and was in a charity shop that was closed. I looked through the window and saw this, and I thought the price tag said £20. I popped back later on when it was open only to find that it was £3. It is in immaculate condition and is soooo pretty. I know I didn't need it but I really couldn't resist. I would have skipped home only I was worried about chipping it!
When I was a child I loved blancmange but we never had it at home. I saw a packet in the shop the other day and made it for the girls (and I) to scoff after Brownies. Why is it that they never come out of the mold in one piece? This one looks slightly deformed, and didn't taste great either as I burnt the milk, but the vanilla one I did 2nd time around was lovely - it took me back to my friend's grandma's house which was also the first place I ever ate rice pudding!
These were an ebay purchase to set me up for my new found hobby. One of the things on my list was to get knitting this week, but that too has gone out of the window, along with painting all the furniture that needs doing (stacks as I keep putting it off), painting the tiles in the kitchen, sewing all of the things in the Sew Pretty Homestyle book that I got for my birthday, making my Christmas puddings, reading my book club book, sorting out the Christmas decorations etc etc ad infinitum.
I actually haven't felt very christmassy at all recently. Normally I start getting excited in about August, but this year I feel a bit lack lustre about it all. I think I will start once Ofsted have gone, but despite going to one of my favourite places in the whole wide world for Christmas stuff yesterday I don't feel remotely festive. Burford Garden Centre is a fabulous place for pretty things and inspiration. They have an enormous food hall, children's section, Christmas section, stationery, cards, smellies, bags etc etc. I did manage to get a few things (some photos below, but some things can't be shown as Grace likes to check out my blog occasionally, and surprises may be spoilt).
I love these trees and have seen quite a few of you using them in your Christmas scenes.
Isn't this the prettiest packaging you have ever seen?
I am thinking about making a lining out of oilcloth for this and using it for picnics (a la Kidston!).
This is my new purchase to help me with my website photos. It is much bigger than I was expecting, and I have got to work out lighting etc (and how to iron the background!), but I am really excited about the possibilities. The cyclamen were a bargain from Wilkos of all places. I did buy 3 but one is really droopy now and I am not sure why. Any ideas for how to perk it up gratefully received.
And finally, (not to sound too much like John Craven's Newsround), my gorgeous friend Tala who runs an amazing jewellery stall appeared in the playground the other day with this enormous bag of broken jewellery for me to break up and use in my creations. I haven't had time to go through it yet, but there is heaps of stuff in there and I can't wait to see what treasures emerge!
So, all in all a hectic week, and not hugely productive. I can see you all making wonderful things for your families and stalls, and I am frustrated that I haven't got the time to get sewing at the moment. I really miss getting cozy in my studio with the radio on and the fabric piled up around me. I think in the New Year it will be easier and I will be able to create all the things I have rattling around in my head.
Thanks again for all your lovely comments and suggestions for magazines. I am sorry I have been rubbish at leaving comments for you all this week, and I promise to try harder next week!! Hopefully the next time you hear from me I will have refound that chilled out feeling and Christmas spirit!
Cathy XXX