Author Archives: penny
FollowReasons to be Cheerful
I can’t believe it’s that time again, time flies by so quickly! I’ve just looked up when, officially, Spring starts in the UK. Not that I’ve found the definitive answer, the Met Office say it’s the 1st of March but historically it’s the time of the vernal equinox, 20/21st March. I think it’s best to let nature decide, and we’ll just watch!
But it’s not far away, and so I’ve decided that next week will be the last Reasons to be Cheerful Linky for a while, as I started it to get us through the winter gloom. Not that I shall stop looking on the bright side wherever possible, Planet Penny is supposed to be jolly place to visit!
So I’m going to share my own Reasons to be Cheerful this week, and hope that as many of you as possible will join in for this week and the next and we can finish on a high.
Firstly, there were flowers, Valentine’s Day flowers, flame coloured tulips, frilly orange roses and lilies, such a lovely surprise…
Despite the cold the seeds I’ve sown in their mini propagators are beginning to germinate, always a moment of magic. If you are interested in my garden project for this year I’m keeping a note in The Garden Dairies, with weekly updates on the drop down menu at the top of the blog. Nothing much is happening just yet, mind you, but it won’t be long!
And yesterday I had a small parcel, which made me very cheerful…
Sometimes you see things you just can’t resist, and this was one of them. Over on Fan my Flame, Gina is on a mission to raise funds for an exhibition and has started a project, putting little books in altered match boxes. You can read all about it here.
Anyway, one of the had my name on it! And this is it…
Alice in Wonderland, a teeny tiny Alice in Wonderland, in a matchbox…
She is just exquisite, so tiny… Don’t forget, a matchbox is only 2″x1.5″ or 5cm x3.5cm, and even enlarged here, the details are perfect.
Gina is making 50 little books in altered matchboxes, for the incredible price of £10 each, no matter how intricate they are. If you visit Gina’s blog you can follow the project, and see whether you fall in love with a matchbox book like me!
I hope you’ve liked my little dose of cheerfulness this week and I do hope you join in by adding a link to your blog on the Linky below, or in the comments. It’s always lovely to hear from you…
See you soon…! x
New Crochet Bunting for Handmade Monday
There’s been a lot of weather about this week! Anyway, moments like this when you’re out for a walk make it worthwhile, even when it’s below freezing point. And no apologies for sharing another snowdrop picture, I’m getting a little obsessed by seeing things from a miniature dachshund’s viewpoint!
I’ve been happy and relieved that this week at our monthly Knit and Stitch meeting the little heart pattern was tested out by a relatively new crochet-er, and it worked ! (Bearing in mind I might have been crocheting for a while, but I’m a novice pattern writer!) Not only that, but having cracked the pattern, Carol went on to reinterpret the heart with crochet wire and beads, which is so pretty…
They look huge here, but they’re not much bigger than a 10p piece, delicate crochet jewellery.
My latest rainbow creation from my gorgeous cotton yarn basket is a new version of crochet bunting. I know the white Christmas Bunting is very popular but there’s been a lot of white around just lately, and I needed an antidote!
I’ll be posting the pattern in Tutorials very soon.
Which brings me to the fireplace. And the hearth rug. the scene of many a power struggle amongst the four legged members of the family. On the one side is Henry, who has been here for getting on for 17 years, who isn’t in the best of health, but who know exactly what is due to a senior citizen and is quite prepared to use all his ‘Grumpy Old Man ‘ tactics to make sure he gets his way. And on the other side is Higgins, who is absolutely sure that everything is all about him…
Today my sister arrived with a special present just for Henry, and I rather knew it was going to cause trouble…
A beautiful rag rug, exactly what a old and bony pussy cat needs…
um…hang on…
…that’s better…
But when a little chat about ‘sharing’ fell on deaf ears…
Higgins retired to the sofa…
Hang on, can’t you see him?
It’s a dog’s life…
But enough of all that. It’s Handmade Monday again, and it’s time to visit the lovely Wendy over on 1st Unique Gifts and find out what everyone else has been creating this week.
Next week I’m hoping to share a new idea with you, one you might just want to join in with…
In the meantime, see you soon! xx
Silent Sunday
Reasons to be Cheerful – Hearts and Flowers Bunting
I really should have written this yesterday, a glorious day when the sun shone and I was feeling bright and positive, very ‘hearts and flowers! Today has been a ‘tupperware box‘ day, and I’ve been as grumpy and growly as Higgins with a new bone.
I will get out yesterdays photos and try to talk myself out of the glooms…
The day started beautifully, and despite the low temperatures managed a slow thaw during the day. I spread bird seed under the cherry trees and had a lot of visitors, chaffinches, sparrows, tits and a robin, three blackbirds and to my delight, a song thrush.
Also a mystery guest, slightly bigger than the thrush and blackbirds, and rounder with feathers in shades of grey. It didn’t get close enough to see properly, and I only managed these slightly grainy shots with the zoom…
Anyone got any clues? (Edited to add: Celia, of Purple Podded Peas, has enlighted me…A Fieldfare, thanks Celia!)
We went for chilly walk…after a disagreement about wrapping up warm to go out…
and despite the fact that by 4 o’clock it was freezing fast…
It was still very enjoyable…
and in the evening I made lots of little crochet flowers and leaves then sewed them together with the hearts from this pattern to make a Valentine’s Day garland. What do you think?
So I hope you’ll join in with some reasons to be cheerful to dispel any negative thoughts floating around. I must finish to get ready for this month’s Knit and Stitch meeting, that should cheer me up!
So do join in via the Linky below where you can leave a link to your blog, or by using the comments list. It’s always lovely to hear from you.
See you soon x
A Snowy Handmade Monday
If my Silent Sunday photo was the day before, this was what those clouds were heralding…
(and if you look closely you can see someone has made a little bow wave!)
Funnily enough, after the early morning excitement, Higgins was NOT very enthusiastic about a walk later on in the day…
But he soon got into the swing of things…
…and definitely appreciated the coat in the end!
So there’s been a good excuse to linger indoors and do a bit more crochet. I had a lovely book for Christmas which is full of inspiring things to make…
…and had some fun with these…
and in the spirit of re-using containers, and as excuse to use this fab ribbon…
I gave a tin of Heinz Tomato Soup a whole new lease of life!
I started on a little something for Valentines Day…
…and if you’d like a pattern I’ll be putting one on soon.
I’d also like to share some other little handmade lovelies which although are designed for Easter, are much to pretty to hide away. One of the wonderful things about the blogging/making world is the new friends you make. People you would never otherwise have met. I had lunch with one of these friends last week, a couple of hours of frantic chatter, comparing notes and trying to fit everything in! Gabriella and I both had stalls at the Pick’n’Mix Market last year, run by another blogging/maker friend Lisa of Bobobun, you might remember this photo of the Moobaacluck Stall. So I was so thrilled by this present from Gabs…
I don’t think I have enough handles in the house!
So now it’s time to join in with Wendy’s Handmade Monday over on 1st Unique gifts, where you’ll find all sorts of yummy things going on! It’s well worth a visit!
See you soon xx
