Category Archives: Life in General

‘Good Enough to Eat’ Swap

A while ago I joined in with a Bloggy swap organised by Em’s Shabby Shack. My partner was Kelly, of Kelly’s Recipes for Life. It’s taken a little while to complete the swap as pregnancy and wedding plans (not mine!) unexpectedly got in the way. But we’ve done it now and I’d like to share my excited unwrapping of all my little gifts.

Firstly, this is what we had to do:-

“This is what we would like you to included~
A handmade item that looks or smell good enough to eat.
An item that is Green~Fair trade.
A Delicious cake recipe.
A couple of items which you would consider look good enough to eat !”

Everything came out of the box tantalisingly wrapped in pretty pastel tissue…

Firstly, a card…

Gosh, Iced Gems… I haven’t had one of those for years. You’d bite the icing off and suck it, and then be left with that boring little biscuit. (I think I used to give it the dog… Poor thing, no wonder it was fat!) But they are SO pretty.

Then,

…coffee to drink while I plant the Basil seeds!…

…something to make me smell good after a bath…

Mouthwatering notecards…

…a Cath Kidston mug to drink my coffee from, and a fruity lip balm.

An icecream cookie cutter which will be a big hit with the grandsons…

..and recipes which will be an even bigger hit!

A cupcake bath bomb…

…and a candle to light while I’m relaxing in the tub.

And finally the little icecream picture box which Kelly made herself.

I feel extremely spoilt, Kelly! Thanks so much (Pop over and visit Kelly to see the other end of the swap and to join in with this month’s giveaway)

P S I’ve been running round with the blanket, the camera and Higgins taking photos for the Blanket ‘reveal’ post. I’ll be back with that very soon!

I’ve spent far too long this month…

…waiting to be rescued.

This time from nearly two days with out the internet. (Which died, mid post, swallowing it on the way) Still, Superman did his stuff, from the middle of the North Sea, and I’m back. Now I’ve just got to remember what I was doing. June’s been a bit of a washout on Planet Penny…

Back soon…

Now we have sorted out Higgins’ holiday arrangements we can worry about our own! I shall be back before long after a trip under the English Channel and hope to catch up with writing about all the things I have been photographing just lately and haven’t had time to process, including the beautiful necklace I bought at the Pick n’Mix Market, the presents I have made that I can’t show you until they have been handed over, the bag of pretty yarn I’m about to turn into a cosy little blanket ….

Lots to say and no time, but I’ll see you all soon.

Have a good week…

Off to the Fair…

…the Norwich Bead and Textile Fair that is. A lovely Sunday morning treat. Having said that, I ALWAYS get a headache when I go to these things, I get so overwhelmed with colour, and texture, and wanting to try new things and talking myself out of it … Anyway, we did our usual circuit to check out what was on offer, a coffee to calm down and then spent some money.
I couldn’t resist this fabric…

I seem to have a ‘tea’ thing in my head at the moment,because there was also this button…

(which is much much smaller than that!)

I’ve been wanting to try printing some fabric for a project for ages so I was very happy to find Crafty Notions stand, a range of textile paints called Colourful Thoughts and a nice lady demonstrating exactly how they work so I bought these…

And then, to keep myself occupied in odd moments with a ball of wool, I HAD to have this…

Natural Dye Studio ‘Angel’ baby Alpaca, Cashmere and Silk lace weight. It is SO soft, and came with a free scarf pattern…

It was nice to meet up with old friends, and make new ones. Fellow students from courses at Broadland Art Centre, a bloggy friend, Teena of Kitschen Pink, and Bridget of feltbybridget.com with her lovely felty, woolly stall. Bridget even went home and started her own blog!

Outside in the fresh and rather damp air, were some lovely pieces of floral inspiration. Don’t you just love the colour of these pansies?

I feel a patchwork quilt coming on…

…and in the strange rather stormy overcast light, the euphorbia was almost Dayglo green…

And we found a little bed where the planting was straight off a nineteen thirties printed cotton frock…

And now it’s time to get some work done. I’m still working my way through sorting stuff out of boxes, but I now have a work surface and lots of things to get on with…

Back soon!

P.S. My 100th post is coming up very soon, watch out for another giveaway…!

It’s been…

…a funny old week. Hard to settle to anything while worrying about ash, and aeroplanes, and far flung friends and relations. They have variously been stuck in South Africa, Florida, Las Vegas, Dubai and the middle of the North Sea. So far, Tim is home only twenty four hours late from the gas platform. My newly married nephew and niece-in-law have arrived home from Las Vegas and, no, they didn’t have an Elvis wedding…As far as I can make out the rest are sunning themselves, in a bored fashion, whilst worrying about their undies and waiting for planes. What a palaver…

However, despite the background fretting, life has continued. For Higgins fans, the shock news is he’s a porky little sausage. Sally at the vets has confirmed Tim’s verdict on returning home about his slight rotundity. He has to lose half a kilo, about a pound! Oh that Weightwatchers would tell me that would answer my own problems! For a little dog who LOVES his food, it’s going to be hard. And grapes are toxic! We have to tell granny that in the morning …he goes there every day and shouts at the fruit bowl.

I have been wielding my crochet hook. Penny at Violet White had a tutorial for some lovely teeny tiny flowers and I got completely ‘hooked ‘ on making them. I had so many I had to dream up a home for them, and I really needed a teacosy.

So the tea cosy has grown, without the problems suffered by the vegetable garden, and has been adding a little happiness to tea time…

…and my felt teapot has found a new home in Norwich. A friend has opened a fabulous new coffee shop in St Giles Street also serving Teapig teas (and extremely scrummy and wicked homemade cakes)

So it seemed a pretty good place to put the ‘Tea Time’ teapot on display…

As The Cherryleaf is on the way from the city centre to that wonderful shop, ‘Verandah’ in Upper St Giles Street, it makes a good destination when you’re out for an indulgent day’s shopping.

And then from cherryleaves to cherry blossom. I have three cherry trees in my garden, a source of much delight. At this time of the year there is the anticipation of the froth of white blossom, and then, as the year wears on, the bliss of lying on the hammock slung beneath gazing up into green shade speckled with red bunches of cherries. I couldn’t wait this year and brought in some small branches in order to enjoy their loveliness at close quarters…

There’s lots more to say, and it’s taken me all week to say this much! Must try harder… Enjoy the rest of the weekend…

Getting Sheepshape

Here we are, in the new look Planet Penny, where the sheep are more colourful and jollier than the poor chilly ones living in the fields nearby.

The doors are open and you are welcome to pop in and have a look round, but I’m afraid we’re still dashing round with paintbrushes and the vacuum cleaner so we’re not quite ready for the fireworks and cake just yet.

Besides, I have a headache…