Author Archives: penny
FollowReasons to be Cheerful 11
Hello! It’s very cheerful here on Planet Penny…a blue, blue sky and bright sunshine – a perfect winters day. And when Higgins and I went round the garden this morning we found these little lovelies optimistically anticipating Spring…
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
Button Up for Handmade Monday
Buttons, badges, pins or even brooches? Not sure, but I’ve been having fun with them! If you read this post you’ll know that I had a little kit for Christmas and now it’s all gone quiet I’ve been having a play.
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
Silent Sunday
Reasons to be Cheerful – Week 10
Hello, and a very happy 2012 to you! Have you taken down the decorations yet, or are you waiting till Twelfth Night? I must admit to taking mine down after New Year’s Day. The tree was in the window, right in front of Higgins’ look out point and I got fed up with things being swept off by a waggy tail and then secreted behind the sofa to be dismantled. (I got my own back when he stole a cracker, put a paw on one end and then delicately tried to remove the interesting long thin piece of card poking out of the middle… BANG!!! Gosh, I didn’t know he could jump quite that high!)
I find the first week of the New Year a bit strange…I end up a bit like Higgins trying to settle in a newly washed bed, I seem to spend a lot of time shuffling and scrabbling trying to make it all the right shape.
We definitely need a bit of cheerfulness with this awful weather, I hope you haven’t been swept away in this wind, or suffered power cuts or cancelled travel arrangements. I feel for Tim, who is stuck in the middle of the North Sea at the moment, I’m just glad that he’s on something with it’s legs firmly planted on the bottom of the sea…
Higgins has been to the sea, he went with his Boy…
He really loved having his Boy to stay over Christmas and probably the Christmas tree incidents were down to the fact that the Boy went home and left him feeling very bored.
I removed all the holly, which had more berries this year than I had ever seen before and hung it with the mistletoe in the cherry trees so the birds could polish off the berries…
Something which made me very happy was a crafty Christmas pressie from my friend Kit, who knows how much I like stationery…
But the best bit was the bit Kit painted herself…
How on earth am I actually going to use those labels…and part with them?
I’ve been shopping on Ebay…
…and talking of buttons, how about this for a Christmas present?
I’ve got so many possible crafty bits of inspiration all I’ve got to do is actually decide what I’m going to do next!
So what are your Reasons to be Cheerful in this first week of 2012? Do join in, either through the Linky below, or via the comments, it’s lovely to find out what every one is doing to get through the gloomiest wintery bit. And if you are in the southern Hemisphere, your sunshiny, Springy bits are most welcome!
See you soon! xxx
2011 – A Year in Pictures
It’s the end of the year, so I thought I’d do a recap. It’s been very interesting trawling through the archives and seeing how things have developed over the months and I thought I would share the experience…
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
It’s already giving me lots of new ideas for the next twelve months, so I hope you’ll drop in again to see how it’s going! In the meantime, I wish you all a very Happy New Year, where ever you are….see you in 2012! xxx
http://youtu.be/QEVF0fah17k
