Oh how I love raspberry pink!  Now IKEA is a day trip for us, we have to do the meatballs and everything, but I might have to work on a visit very soon.  I realise there’s a whole love/hate thing with IKEA too.  When we introduced Aimee to it she nearly had to be carried sobbing and screaming into the carpark after half an hour but lured in by something like raspberry pink dishes I think I can be brave!

Going from one extreme to another, in this case a multinational Super Store to an individual business, I love the way most of the things I buy on line from small retailers tend to arrive looking like little presents…

…bamboo crochet hooks from Wool and Buttons…

I love using bamboo knitting needles, I’ll let you know how I get on with these…

I’m being optimistic about the garden too, although the last few days have been too gloomy and wet to get anything done at all.  I went out in the drizzle this morning to encourage Higgins to follow, he’d really rather not when it’s wet.

I had spotted the yellow crocuses which grow in the lawn were about to open and thought I could get a lovely shot of Higgins smelling the flowers…

‘Higgins! Look! What’s this?’

Gallopy gallopy…CHOMP!

…one less crocus to brighten the gloom…will I ever learn?

We went off to the garden centre to replace the mini plastic greenhouse which was really useful for starting off seeds but had been ripped off the wall and seen off by the gales.  Fortunately, still half price so it didn’t break the bank at less than £15.00.  This time we’ll put in stronger fixings.  This is a problem when you live in windswept Norfolk.

A new trowel and fork in bright blue. New because you might have noticed someone chewed the handles off the old ones, and bright blue so I don’t keep mislaying them…

…and they look very jolly along with my gardening gloves…

And while I’m waiting to get to grips with the great outdoors, I have a few indoor projects from the cut price shelf to be going on with.

I’m very cheerful that I’ve sold one of my Love Bird Hearts on Folksy and later today I will be adding the larger one, which has been finished off with a primrose…

So, despite the gloom, I’m managing to keep my spirits up, how about you?  If you’ve got some cheerfulness to share please join in with the Linky below, or leave a comment on the post.  It’s always lovely to hear from you….!

I’ve just been nominated for an award!  Isn’t that fabulous?  Thank you SO much, TillymintBoutique…

It’s to be awarded to blogs with fewer than 200 followers, and I don’t actually know many followers I have, as WordPress doesn’t work like Blogger.  (I’ve recently started using Bloglovin’ which works really well, so if you would actually like to officially follow me, the button is up on the left hand side bar! Ed. to add: and now I’ve found a subscribers widget too!  ) 

The rules are simple:

- Show thanks to the blogger who awarded you by linking back to their blog…
- Post your top 5 blogs and let them know by leaving a comment on their blogs…
- Post the award on your blog!

…and I have chosen five ‘young’ blogs to pass on to you all…

They are, in no particular order:

1. Daisies Divine for knitting and sewing
2. Moobaacluck an artist and illustrator with a great range of hand painted goodies.. I’m after some painted bunting!
3. PickleLily making and baking in Somerset
4. Knitsofacto knitting and crochet and gorgeous photography
5. Faith knitting and crochet and the most adorable puppy!

Do visit them and say hello, there’s lots to see!

I’ll be back very soon with this week’s Reasons to be Cheerful.  I hope you’ve been looking for them amongst the January gloom so you are ready to join in!

See you soon x

I would like to say thank you to every one who left such kind comments on last week’s Handmade Monday post about my exciting trip to the hospital.  I’m still absolutely fine, but I really appreciated your concern, thanks so much …

I’ve been busy making, but plotting too, so I’m going to run my latest plan by you as it may be something you would like to join in with.  A while ago I had two beautiful raised beds put in the vegetable area of the garden.  They have lovely chunky railway sleepers which you can sit on, and metal bars over which I can put a polythene cover to make them into mini poly tunnels.  (If you’ve been visiting for a while, you’ll know they have featured on several occasions in Higgins type incidences and if  you put ”raised beds’ in the search box you will find plenty to have a giggle at, too many for me to add individual links to here!) 

Last year I got so tied up with the Open Studio plans that nothing really got started, so I decided that this year, I will get to grips with the whole thing, and see how much I can produce using the two raised beds and some containers.  I’m going back to basics, and I will be picking the brains of my friend Gaynor, who lives in the next village.  Gaynor is one half of Home Grown Revolution, who specialise in raised beds, and one of her New Year’s resolutions was to get out from the office and to get her hands dirty in the veg garden.  As the other one was to start a blog, we are going to be helping each other along, so watch this space, I hope it’s going to be fun!

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching I’ve been turning my thoughts to something new to needlefelt, and so we have the Love Bird…

He’s just 2 to 3 inches tall, but he has some smaller little friends too, who have come to roost in little woolly hearts…

and they’ll be for sale in the Folksy shop very soon.

I’ve been playing around in the button box again…

…and I’ve tried, but not quite managed to produce a crochet square a night with my lovely New Zealand wool…

…if only there were more hours in the day!

With that in mind I will step away from the computer, and leave you to pop over to 1st Unique Gifts where Wendy is hosting the Handmade Monday Linky to find out just what everyone else has been up to over the past week.

See you soon …x

However on Monday the day dawned like this…

and ended like this…

…and in the middle was a chilly walk on the beach!

Which was very enjoyable!

I had a really good time at the OutHouse Studio in Aylsham yesterday, teaching a beginners needlefelt course.  I didn’t realise it was the very first course to be run, which made me feel rather honoured.  It was a small group but everyone had lots of fun,(including me) and were very happy to go home with a Cupcake pincushion.  The OutHouse now has a website which you can find here and if you are in Norfolk do keep an eye out for all the other crafts which will be featured over time.  Next month the course is  needlefelt animals, which I promise to show you soon.

And there are Wedding plans!  My younger son is getting married in May and my future daughter in law and I are plotting  flowery country loveliness galore.  Obviously all under wraps for the moment, but if you have any suggestions of  blogs or websites of the crafty country wedding kind, we’d love some tips!

And finally I’d like to share this, the best Facebook status I’ve seen…

“listening to music while sorting out paperwork makes the job worthwhile!!”

I’m sure you’re wondering why, most of us listen to music on a daily basis.   But this was written by my niece, who recently had her cochlear implant switched on…How fantastic is that!

So what are you reasons to be cheerful this week?  Do join in, via the Linky below or in the comments column and spread a little happiness, all over the world!

See you soon xxx

I went to bed on Thursday with a hot water bottle on a sore tum, and although that subsided in the night, I still wasn’t feeling terribly good and so drove myself off to the surgery.  Imagine my surprise when after questions and tests, it was decided that an ambulance should be called!  My initial reaction was to want to go home for a lie down and wait for it to go away, but I was told firmly that they couldn’t actually  rule out a heart attack or an aortic aneurysm and I wouldn’t be much good to anyone if I went home and died. Blimey! Oh all right then…

You’ve got to give the good old NHS it’s due.  I’ve moaned a lot about it in the past, but when you need it it, it’s there, you get put in the system and there’s no one there waiting for you to produce your cheque book first.

So off in the ambulance, covered in sticky dots and attached to a monitor.  It was all so surreal I didn’t feel the slightest bit worried, and was really excited when the siren went on!

Anyway to cut a long story short, I’m fine.  I had loads of tests and everything came back normal.  The worst thing about the day was I didn’t have my emergency knitting, or a book so I was very bored, and hospital Cauliflower Cheese is appalling, how do you cook carrots so they are both bendy and crunchy at the same time?  (The suggestion is that I’ve probably got an acidy gastric thing going on so it’s just as well I’ve got back to home cooking!)

So I might have my gloomy January moments, but I do look on the bright side about a ride in an ambulance!

And talking of January gloom and adding some brightness, I was inspired by this post over on Countrystyle Living to try a bit of candle recycling.   I had a couple of ends of scented candle which when added to an ordinary white household candle and melted down made enough wax for this…

I used the wick from the household candle in the cup…

…and I’m very pleased with the result.  It gives a rather neglected little teacup and saucer it’s moment of glory too!

I also have a new LYS.  Well I’ve cheated rather, there’s a lovely shop called Norfolk Yarn in a part of Norwich I just never seemed to get to , but now I can count it as local because my Son and Daughter-in-law to be have moved in just a 6 minute walk away (can you tell I Googled it!) So when we called for coffee on Saturday I knew I had to do a detour to have a little browse around.

This is also where I found the Silent Sunday spinning wheel.  I had one once a long time ago, but it didn’t fit in with a small house, three children, a large dog and no time.  As I still have a small house and no time I think I’ll just stick to admiring other peoples!

And I did fall in love with the beautiful bag which the shop owner brought out to show me…

…and this is the base…

It’s knitted with Noro yarn and felted, and I shall be investigating the source of the pattern shortly. I feel a project coming on!

I couldn’t come away empty handed though, could I? I was thrilled to see the Ashford Tekapo wool which Alice uses over on Crochet with Raymond and as she has spoken so highly of it I bought enough to get me going.  The plan is for another sampler blanket similar to this one which I started this blog with…

This one went off to the grandsons to snuggle up in, but I’m hoping to make a more outdoorsy, cosy one for sitting under when it gets chilly by the barbecue so I’ve chosen something a bit subtler than my usual colour pallette…

I’ve got some pattern books for inspiration,  a new one…

This one I’ve had a while…

…and this one dates back to 1979!!!

…but it’s got some amazing inspiration inside!

After that, my first dabblings look a little tame, but we’ll see!

Well, I’d better stop now. There is a chicken roasting in the oven with a bunch of thyme stuffed in the cavity and there’s a most tantalising smell wafting my way!  I’ve got a few last things to get ready for teaching the Needlefelted cupcake pincushion course at The OutHouse in Aylsham this coming Tuesday.  If you are in Norfolk there are still a couple of places left, it would be lovely to see you!

I’m off to link up with the amazing Wendy of 1st Unique Gifts, who does so much and still manages to host Handmade Monday each week!  Do go over and find all the other links and see what’s been going on…

See you soon…xxx

They are probably being a little too optimistic seeing as we’re not even in the middle of January yet, but I shall enjoy them while I can!

And I have my usual post Christmas bunch of daffodils which I have to welcome the New Year.  There’s something so fresh and hopeful about the delicate lemon/yellow and green after the bright colours and rich decorations of Christmas.  They’re not quite open yet…

…so I’ve got it all to look forward to!

Can you see those spools on the the top of the dresser?  I bought them at the Knitting and Stitching show last year and forgot to show them to you.  They were empty when I bought them, but it was an ideal way of showing of some ribbons, tapes and bindings I’ve had in my stash waiting for the right moment to star…

The top two and the far right one are some I found in France and wrote about in this post, the blue and white stripe bias binding is made from a favourite shirt of Tim’s and the seashell ribbon was tied round a birthday present.  This way I can enjoy them even though I haven’t actually made anything with them yet! (I can’t remember the name of the company I bought them from at the Show, but I’ve found them for sale via Not on the High Street from Jane Means)

And the other thing which has made me happy is a little rabbit.  I don’t really knit animals much as I love to needlefelt them, but yesterday I discovered a bag of sample wool…

and this Debbie Bliss book which I’ve had for years…

click image for info

As I discovered it while I was looking for my mislaid sock pattern (which I needed as I’d got to the point of turning the heel) I abandoned the search, grabbed the most bunny coloured wool and some needles and created my own version of  a Debbie Bliss rabbit. (I know, what a butterfly brain!)

I’ve used vintage mother-of pearl buttons to attach the limbs and shirt buttons for the eyes so he wouldn’t be suitable for a little one, but I think he’ll be staying with me for the moment!

So that’s what making me cheerful this week, how about you?  Do share your thoughts by adding your blog  to the Linky below, or if you don’t have a blog, leaving a comment.  I really appreciate all your comments on every post and always read them.  If you are linking your blog, don’t forget to link back to Planet Penny so we can really spread a little cheerfulness!

And now I’d better get back to looking for that sock pattern….

See you soon! x

click on the image for info

They are very easy to make with the equipment supplied in the box…

and clear instructions…

…and there’s lots of scope for individuality.  They look pretty just as a way of showing off a lovely scrap of favourite fabric, or with embroidery and embellishment can be as fancy as you like…

I particularly like these two…

…which I do think can be elevated to brooch status, but I also have a soft spot for this jolly one…

It’s certainly easier than the ones I made a while back using the buttons you cover yourself as I had to remove the button shank, and then cover the rather tatty looking back with felt before glueing on a pin.

It still works well though, and as you can see I’ve been experimenting with a little crochet edging in my own dyed wool. (It was far to much work dyeing it to waste a scrap!)

This one which was made using the biggest covered button I could find is covered in a piece of vintage embroidery salvaged from a very stained tablecloth…

It’s all been a bit of a displacement activity because I keep seeing all sorts of  ’mission statements’ on other blogs about  intentions for the New Year and I’m still faffing around, not being able to make up my mind.  Do I put all my ideas in black and white and frighten myself with a huge list and set myself up to fail, or do I just come up with a couple of things and do them really well, or shall I just make it up as I go along…?  As usual…

Hmmm, I’ll let you know!

One thing I am going to do is to get to grips with the vegetable plot this year.  Last Spring I got so tied up with Open Studios (and that’s happening again this year!) that in the end all I grew were Sweet Peas.They were the most successful Sweet Peas ever, but not what my raised beds were put in for so this year I must do better!

It was actually sunny and mild this morning, so I went out and cleared the first raised bed of all the chickweed, forget-me-not seedlings and oxalis…

…so I could put the cover on it ready to warm the soil…

The cover is looking rather well worn now, but  does sterling service, and I leave the metal supports in place as they are so handy to lean on when you’re feeling a bit creaky!

Well, I think I qualify to join in with Wendy and the other Handmade Mondayers over on 1st Unique Gifts.  Do go over to see what happening and also to admire Coral the Camper van!

See you soon! x