The Fairyglade

There and Back Again!

2012-01-24T21:30:00.000Z

Well it has been a while I must say but I just felt that I needed a break from blogging. I was having and still am having problems leaving comments on some blogs and I still cannot see who my followers are unless I use someone elses computer. Have no idea how to rectify it so will have to continue to be anon for some peeps.

I haven't been idle and I thought that I would share a few things that have occupied my time recently and a particular project that has been on going since the summer.

I love this hat using the pattern from the Gentle Art of Knitting (as mentioned in my last post). The wool is super warm and a lovely shade of plum with tiny flecks of red and green..... It's Debbie Bliss Donegal Aran Tweed DK. It is supposed to be a slouchy hat, but it was just a tad too big for me, so I pulled it back a bit. I only have a small head...don't laugh...it's true. Hats for me are usually a nightmare as everything falls down over my eyes. I would love to make another one and try and get the 3 sections of pattern just using less rows. This is reluctantly modelled by Miss Fairy ( no more Littlest Fairy...Her teens are approaching fast). I was under strictest orders not to show her hair, (she hates it) and the fact that she was still in her pyjamas on a Sunday afternoon!

I also fell in love with the Swishy Scarf from Nicki Trench's new book which is whizzing around blogland at the moment. This is Rowan DK, I can't remember which shade off hand.... The pattern is very simple to follow if a little time consuming, especially the last round which took me 2 nights to complete. I would love to do this in a couple of other colours too sometime. I wouldn't say that it is one of those big snuggly cuddly scarves being a little over 5 inches or so wide, but I love it.

A larger more long term project has been this quilt for Miss Fairy. I started it way back in the summer months, probably about the time that I lost my blogging mojo. It is quite addictive and uses the English paper piecing method..ie the material is sewn round a paper template. It is an ideal stash buster, although I have had to purchase a certain amount of new fabric since I started.

This was my first block. I love it and have so many other favourite blocks like this one too. Need to crack on and get this finished.

So that's it for now, there is some wool sitting looking at me and a friends birthday beckons. It is pouring with rain outside, but warm here by the fire with my chocolate options drink....mmmmm what better way to sepnd the afternoon.

Dev x

Gentle Arts

2011-06-26T22:18:00.000+01:00

How many of you out there, like moi, have a trillion cookbooks by all the best known peeps, the Nigella's, the Jamie's and those Hairy Biker lads. But do you ever cook from them? How many of you have a trillion books on crochet, sewing, quilting, patchwork etc?

I imagine that like moi, you snatch them off the postman before he realises what has happened, you tear into the packaging and then devour the book from cover to cover whilst drinking your coffee and scoffing a biscuit or three dozen. You ooh and you ahh and you dream, you probable even blog about it and then....you put it on the bookshelf.....and there it sits and sits and sits. Am I hitting on any nerves here, go on, be honest?
Well there is a new book on the block and I can honestly say that I want to make virtually everything from page one to whatever it says on the last page (actually 152), and I am determinded to have a go. I am of course talking about Jane Brocket's new Gentle Art of Knitting. There are a total of 40 projects inside, all of them completely irresistable, and more importantly for me, actually do-able. Simple straight forward and easy.

I want those socks to wear in front of my fire.......and Mr Fairy can have the other pair.

I want to wear these pretty gloves on a cold winters morning when out walking the dog....

I will of course need these cushions on my sofa and one of these blankets over my knees whilst knitting another project..........

and talking of blankets, this one is a must for my bed where I will tuck myself up and carry on knitting something else from the book.....

I will drink my morning tea from a suitably dresses teapot and choose something to wear from the wardrobe that will be hanging on one of these pretties...

I love, love, love these coathangers and was seen recently outside a well known supermarket rummaging around in their coathanger bin, where I acquired four perfect wooden hangers (I did ask in the store if I could take them before anyone asks). So easy and so addictive, I made these three over the weekend.

I love reading about her inspiration for each project and the advice she offers on the type of yarns and suitable replacements etc. I can thoroughly recommend this lovely book. Gloves are next on my list methinks. Happy knitting!

Dev x

May Scavengers Hunt

2011-06-01T19:25:00.000+01:00

It's time to reveal my pictures for May. I can't tell you how many times I forgot to take my camera out with me and has resulted in panic stations over the past few days in an effort to collate them all. So here goes...in no particular order....

A building of local interest..not local to me, but by the seaside at Hastings. It is made from half a boat.

Something Blue.....my gorgeous Monsoon bag.

A bicycle...

A butterfly...crochet by moi....

A red door, not as easy as it sounds as nowhere within 100 miles seems to have a red front door, soooo.......

A cartoon character...The gorgeous Scooby Dooby Dooooooooooooooooooooo!

An emergency vehicle...Now I have an ambulance station at the end of the road where I work, so one would assume that it would be easy peasy, lemon squeasy to get a shot of one rushing off...Not so. Also, I work in a rather sensitive area where a camera can raise a bit of a security problem. So this was the best that I could do without causing a national alert!

Think Vintage....

I have owned this brooch about 20 years now and the lady who gave it to me was somwhere in her mid 80's. It was a present for her 18th birthday and so I think this could be classed as a vintage piece. I love, love it.

A portrait in black and white.....my gorgeous, tousled, Little Fairy.

A street light...A bit Narnian in my opinion, just add snowflakes and Mr Tumnus!

A sign of the zodiac. This caught me out because I assumed that all papers with horescopes would have pictures...not so as I found out in a panic..so a google image I'm afraid.

Texture, how about this juicy pineapple all gnarly and nobbly, nice with cream too.

And that's your lot...phew!

Now I need your help ladies because I am having serious problems in leaving comments on some of your blogs. I will try and explain because I am no expert and find anything like this really confusing. So, when I log in and comment I seem to get 2 main ways of doing. The easiest one and the most common is to click on the comments at the bottom of the post and type into the box, using a security word if necessary and the comment appears.

The second way and the one that is giving me grief, is when I click comments at the bottom, type in the box and then it asks me what account I want to use. I click on Google account ( which is what I have always done in the past) and then use a security word and normally that is suffcient. However, I am having problems when I do this and I have also noticed that it calls me an anonymous person?? Do you all know what I mean? What is the difference? Can anyone out there enlighten me. I am also unable to see my list of followers on the right hand tool bar but according to my dashboard stands at 116. Any ideas on that one? I am floundering! Someone HELP me before I lose the will to live.

Dev x

Sat Sitting

2011-05-22T18:41:00.002+01:00

I love sitting in the garden when time and weather permits and we have lots of different areas to choose from depending on the time of day. Early morning is probably favourite at this time of year and so at the weekend I decamp to my little wooden seat with a mug of coffee and my trusty notebook and make notes to help me write posts such as this one.

So, here I sit in the morning sunshine which is scorching as usual, it makes the light very harsh and makes taking pictures difficult. This is my chair with a comfy blanket and a couple of plump cushions.

I have a bit of company too of course, where there is a sunbeam there is usually a canine snoring gently.

And this is the view as I am sat sitting. Everything is looking so lush and green despite having had no rain for 6 weeks or so, except for a cupful one night last week! Pity about the washing line! It's strange what you don't see through the lense when you take a photgraph isn't it?

It is beautiful this morning, the rooks are making their usual early morning racket and the doves have had their breakfast and are cooing and preening their feathers and getting ready for the business of the day.

A plane passes overhead on it's way to some exotic destination, it glints silver in a wedgewood blue sky, a frothy trail tailing behind. With the bees buzzing and gossamer spiders thread invisible until caught in the sunlight and the sweet scent of roses, it all takes some beating here in blighty on a day like today.

Did you spot the Baby Bunting? Super cute and made from the leftovers of Big Bunting which isn't quite finished yet as I have decided that I would like to embellish it with some glass beads (which I haven't bought yet). Here's a taster for you to swoon over...go on you know you want to, it is such an easy pattern to follow, (it has to be for me to be able to make it)!

This is Baby Bunting...............

This is Big Bunting, minus beads....................

My bargain of the week was this fab bag which is perfect for all my hooky projects. You can never have too many project bags in my opinion. It matches my Mme Gregoire rose perfectly!

I am off to make some cherry brooches now, pictures to follow another time.

Do any of you have a special seating area if so share the pictures with us. In the meantime, have a lovely, lovely week. Mr Fairy has built a greenhouse and there are henny things afoot. I will tell you more next time.

p.s. I have lost all my followers, at least I hope they are lost and not crossed me off their favourites. Any ideas how that has happened and if anything can be done to sort it out?

Glare!

2011-05-02T21:16:00.006+01:00

What a day it has been today, a day of such intensity of light and sound. The sun has followed it's path across the bluest of skies in all it's glory. A hot, fierce sun harsh and glaring. Uncomfortable on the eyes, burning the skin.

It brought beauty to the leaves, changing their colours and a vibrancy to the flowers. Gnats dancing in golden light, ephemeral, translucent.

It created strong shadows and, occasionally, as an odd cloud passed in front of the sun, a split seconds relief from the furnace.

All this to the backdrop of the most incredibly wind, the constant noise of swishing and flapping, moaning and creaking. A constant movement with the tiniest lulls now and again, bringing back the glare and the heat on bare skin. A constant bombardment of the senses.

The shade from the apple tree was a most welcome relief, a chance to relax and rest tired eyes from squinting and sooth baked skin and of course partake of some hooky goodness. As I write this, the very clever lady who designed the tutorial for this gorgeous bunting has completely gone out of my head...must be a touch of sunstroke....Anyhow, will credit her when I complete the project hopefully.

I am so enjoying this project and have taken the opportunity to unpick a blanket that was shoved to the back of a cupboard to salvage some the beautiful rowan wool.

I hope that you have all had a relaxing holiday and enjoyed some sunshine and crafting.

Dev x

p.s. As you can see I am having a few problems with the settings for the new blog editor. I can get some of the pictures to enlarge but am having problems dragging them to different areas of my blog? There are other problems, but I am too tired to fiddle with them now!

April Pictures

2011-05-01T18:00:00.015+01:00

Hello everyone, I hope that you are all enjoying the holiday weekend as much as we are. The sun has continued to shine day after day here in our little corner of the world. Everything is looking lush and green now and as much as the sunshine is welcome, we really sould do with a little drop or two of rain, preferably at night so that all the plants and trees can have a bit of a drink.

Anyhow, I stumbled upon this lovely blog recently, having seen it mentioned on various others. Kathy has had the brilliant idea of a monthly picture scavenger hunt. Join in if you can, it makes you look at things in a completely new light and I have kicked myself several times this month for not having my camera to hand! In particular, as mentioned above, one of the headings was April showers. We had one day of rain at the beginning of the month which had stopped by the time I got home from work. Needless to say, we haven't had a wet day since! So that's a fail. However, I did manage most of the others....so here goes.....

Breakfast, not very exciting I'm afraid!

My Camera a Sony Cyber-shot 7.2 mega pixels........

A set of keys.... again not very exciting in my case!

A cross...I happened to be driving past a small chemist shop and saw this on the wall outside.

A church.... St Mary's at Chilham a truly beautiful, peaceful place.

Eggs, laid by my girls, Hanniah and Mabel! Sorry about the picture quality.

Something yellow.....Littlest Fairy's deck chair which has seen a lot of sunshine this past few weeks.

A sculpture....I think this is fabulous, entitled "Embracing the Sea". It is situated outside Deal Pier and is a bronze about 10 foot high, by Frank Seymour Kennett and made in 1998. I made an error here, the statue was paid for by a bequest of Mr Kennett. The actual sculpture was made by John Buck. Sorry for any confusion.

Something to mark St Geroge's Day...Hope this is okay, it was certainly very tasty and welcome on a scorching hot bank holiday!

Something to do with Shakespeare..I'm afraid this one completely stumped me. I don't even have a book by him. I could have googled an image, but thought that would be cheating. April showers, as above, we haven't had one. One other was "an interesting shop name". Now, we have a shop in a town nearby called "Obidosh". Unfortunately, due to the cost of fuel, I couldn't really justify a trip there to take a picture, so you will just have to take my word for it!

So now to start on May's selection. Pop over to Kathy's if you fancy some fun.

Bye for now. Dev x

Futile!

2011-04-14T22:23:00.005+01:00

Resistance was futile...........

Dev x

Weekend

2011-04-10T21:22:00.008+01:00

It has been one of those wonderful weekends with glorious weather and the bluest of blue skies. A weekend of pottering about doing a bit of this and a bit of that. No pressure, no urgent business, no real housework, just lazing around in the sunshine.

There was a nice parcel in the post on Saturday morning which set me up nicely for my one of my new projects. I am not really into acrylic wool, but this has been recommended by several bloggers and a fellow member of the craft club that I belong to. The colours are scrumptious and it is really, really soft and most importantly, it doesn't make that sqeaky sound on the crochet hook. You know the one I mean don't you......It is also a bargain at £1.50 for 100 grams!

I have loved this design for ages, it's called African Flowers in case you haven't seen it. There is an amazing flickr site with hundreds of projects using this design. Just google and have a look see. I wanted something summery in pastel shades and after a bit of playing, I came up with the above. I am going to call it my Isabel blanket. I am trying to "join as I go" as well as crocheting in all my ends. It is a bit new for me and I am a bit slow, but I think that once I get the hang of it proper it will save loads of time. I hate sewing in all the ends don't you?

Originally, I was going to use all the colours that arrived in the post, but to be honest it all looked a bit too busy. This was my third combination of colours and it sort of clicked. It won't be a huge blanket, just a lap quilt for those chilly evenings when it isn't quite cold enough to light the fire.

So now, I suppose I should give you the results of the giveaway. No magic hand this evening it was her night off, (the camera was being naughty). I decided that I would give both brooches away in the end. So without further ado........Congratulations to.....................

If you can let me know your addresses, I will endevour to get them in the post as soon as I can. Neither of you expressed a preference for the colour so in the order that they appeared in the photo on my last post, and the order I drew the names from the bowl, the lilac/pink one will go to Marqueta and the rust one to Kazzy. I can't say fairer than that. I do hope that you like them.

Dev x

My Second Giveaway

2011-04-03T17:27:00.020+01:00

Hello there and a Happy Mother's Day to you all, I hope that you all received something nice from your little people. I woke to find this on the table.. She has recently opened a store in Canterbury, good news for me and the Littlest Fairy....not such good news for Mr Fairyglade though.

Would you like to see what was inside? Look at these amazing pretties. I am such a lucky Mummy am I not?

So here at the Fairyglade everything is bursting with colour and activity. The birds have gone into overdrive, prinking and preening and strutting around. Old nests are being renovated, particularly by the doves and new ones are being built by the wildies. I sat outside after breakfast, my new mug keeping my hands warm because it was a bit sharp to say the least. I could see my breathe! But it was so worth it. The doves were cooing, the robins trilling, the crows cawing, the magpies chattering, the woodpeckers drilling, oh so much noise, but so worth listening too. Nature's alarm clock I call it.

As for colour, the spring fairies have spun their magic and the daffodils are lighting up even the gloomiest of corners. Everywhere you turn there is a golden pool of colour.

I just can't get enough of the daffodilies and Mr Fairyglade has planted thousands upon thousands since we moved here.

Such hard back breaking work at the time, but so worth the rewards now. We have quite a few different varieties and some flower early and some a bit later, that way we can keep the colour going as long as possible.

Then there are the hyacinths that waft their sweet intoxicating perfume on every soft puff of breeze. The Fairglade is a beautiful place to be all year round, but particularly so in the spring.

On my last post I mentioned that I had picked up my knitting needles for the first time in a while. My fingers were literally itching to get hold of the needles. Do you know what I mean, it's that irresistable urge to do something, that I actually feel like my fingers are twitching. So I suppose you are wondering what I was up too or maybe you weren't and there was no one out there with an interest either way. I am going to show you anyway....

A trio of pretty brooches! Once I started, I couldn't stop. So do you like them? I hope someone does because I don't need three and I so I thought I might offer one as my next giveaway. You have a choice between the lilac bow or the rust/orange bow. I am keeping the dark pink one for moi.

You decide which one you would like and leave me a comment and I will pick a winner next Sunday 10th April around teatime.

Well, that's all for now folks. Looking forward to the new series of Lewis this evening. I feel a bit of crocheting might be in order as well, remember the itchy, twitchy fingers.............

Dev x

Spring

2011-03-27T17:16:00.018+01:00

Well it seems to have arrived, finally. What a lovely week we have had here at the Fairyglade. Washing has been dried on the line and there has been time to sit a while after work and do some crafting.

Here is where I sit in the warm sunshine, do you like the cushions? Bargain at Dunelm Mill.

There has been a bit of dolly making and a bit of knitting too. Ages since I picked up my needles. Excuse the porky fingers and the tatty nails.

I will tell you more about this make when I have done a bit more, but think flowers.......

Now, let me introduce you to Delia, my latest fairy doll. Isn't she cute!

Her dress is made from an old dressing table mat and I have attached some pretty beads in the centre of the flowers.I have used an old earring to decorate her bodice and another one for a bit of sparkle on her lace headband. (She is in my shop if you are interested. See the link on the sidebar).

And so onto the Giveaway. Sadly I have not heard from thriftymissus which is a real shame. Just to let you all know that I emailed several people, contacted bloggers with similar names and I believe that another fab blogger even tweeted a message in the hope that she might get in touch. So I feel that I have done what I can.

So, this afternoon the magic hand pulled another name from the dish and this time it's congratulations to Vintage Vicki. So sorry thriftymissus!!

I hope that you are all enjoying some sunshine and will be back with another Giveaway soon.

Dev x

BLOG SHOUT

2011-03-22T21:30:00.003Z

This is a blog shout for thriftymissus who entered and won my giveaway on 13th March. I have been unable to contact her and she hasn't checked back with me to see the results. Therefore, I am going to give her until this Sunday coming (27th) to claim the Larkrise DVD's. If I have still heard nothing, then I will draw another winner. If anyone else can help me track her down then I would be really grateful. I did wonder if she is an invited reader only blog and that's why there are no links back to her?

I hope this is acceptable to everyone involved and I am unaware of any blogging protocol to be followed in such cases. Again, if anyone knows different, I would appreciate the advice.

If Thriftymissus reads this at some later date, I don't want her to be offended, so really, really hope that she gets in touch.

Dev x

Tah Da Moment

2011-03-13T16:14:00.022Z

Hello there and I hope everyone has been having a lovely weekend. So here we are again. Now what shall we do first the Giveaway or the Ta Dah moment...mmmm....decisions, decisions.........

Okay, Tah Da moment it is then. So without further ado, can I introduce you to Lottie and Mabel. Lottie first I think as she was the first one to be completed.

She's is so pretty with her braided hair and little star decorations.Her dress is made from an old lace handkerchief with an overskirt of deep white lace. I have used a diamante trim to give her a bit of sparkle, and she has her dancing shoes on too.

She is approximately 10 inches tall from the top of her hair down to her twinkly toes.

Secondly, Miss Mabel. She is slightly smaller at 9 inches. Her underskirt is made from an old chair back and her overskirt, a piece of fabric from a bolero jacket made to go with a bridesmaid dress.

Her hair is made using Wenslydale sheep's wool all the way from a flock in Germany. I made her a pretty bow with some crochet lace from the chair back and topped with a small pearl bead.

Her bodice is adorned with an old diamante and pearl earring from my Mum's magic box of pretties.

She too has her dancing shoes on, decorated with tiny metallic gold stars. They both have white wings made from an old napkin and also have a hook at the back for hanging from wherever you want.

There is she is as pretty as a peach...Miss Mabel.

I hope that you like then both, I can't decide which one is my favourite, what about you?

I have decided to offer these two girlies for sale in my shop if anyone is interested.

And now for the Giveaway... the names in a bowl.... the magic hand appears and pulls out....

Congratulations to thriftymissus and if you get in touch and let me know your address I will get the dvd's in the post soonest. (I don't seem to be able to log into your blog, so not sure if it is invited peeps only).

Well that's all for now folks, there will be another giveaway soon. Bye for now.

Dev x

EDIT if anyone out there could get a message to thriftymissus for me as she hasn't contacted me and I am unable to leave her a comment on her blog for whatever reason. Many thanks.

Giveaway

2011-03-06T11:15:00.018Z

Is anyone getting any warmer weather yet? Here at the Fairyglade it just seems to be grey and dark and oh so cold. This was the outside temperature on Friday morning. Nice and warm indoors though.

There are small signs of spring however, the daffodils are slowly coming into flower and here and there are pretty carpets of snowdrops. We have noticed a lot of activity amongst the wild birds and the Fairyglade doves, especially the males who are strutting their stuff and showing off to the females. They in turn are busily collecting twigs and tidying up nest boxes in readiness for egg laying.

I am still waiting for some fabric paint pens to arrive and so cannot give you all a proper Ta Dah moment just yet, but I can't resist giving you a few tantalising glimpses of almost finished fairy dolls. I am so loving these little pretties and am planning on offering one or two for sale in the Fairydell shop at some point if anyone might be interested. This is how they start their journey, outlines on a piece of vintage linen...

After handsewing them together and adding some stuffing they start to take on their individual characters and then the fun beginnings in choosing what they will wear.....

There are so many gorgeous trimmings..what to choose...what to choose!!

Hopefully, soon, all will be revealed......

And, now onto my first ever giveaway. Who has been having withdrawl symptoms since Lark Rise to Candleford finished? Would anyone like to own the the first series on DVD? I have a spare set of free discs that were collected with the Daily Mail.

Just leave me a comment...that's it. I will draw a winner next Sunday 13th March.

Bye for now........Dev x

March Make

2011-03-01T20:34:00.009Z

Following on from my January dolly make, I have been having a bit of a play in an effort to try and improve my designs.

There were several things in particular that I didn't like...the head piece being seperate from the body for instance. I have now made the head an integral part of the body. The face has been one of the hardest things as well. I have now decided to keep it simple and just paint on eyes.

The skirt on the original doll didn't seem to hang quite right and I realised that she really needed some legs, so I have now included them in the design too. And wings have been made too......

The best part has been selecting the fabrics, ribbons and lace. I have had a good rummage and found some really pretty bits and bobs that I have collected over the years, things that have just sat there waiting for me to put them to good use.

I never realised just how many pretties I have and spent the weekend washing and ironing and untanging yards of lovely trims, sorting out beads and crystals and writing down different combinations. Some of it is vintage and some of it not, but all of it is simply gorgeous.

I am on the verge of sharing a "tah da" moment with you all, but not quite yet. There are just a couple of things that I need to tweak first. So be patient with me and all will be revealed in a few days time. I am so excited about these little girls of mine.

Dev x

Stanley

2011-02-11T21:19:00.013Z

Hello everyone, hope all is well with you. Well, what have we been up to here at the Fairyglade....well there has been a birthday, Littlest Fairy has reached the grand old age of 12, and boy is she growing up fast, (and ever so pretty in my opinion!!).

I took her a a small group of her friends to see the new Disney film "Tangled" which was so good, I really recommend it if you get a chance to go.

I have also completed this months "Make", although strictly speaking I actually started this cute little fellow back in December in a vain attempt to give it to LF as part of her xmas presents.

Unfortunately, because of one thing and another, I didn't get it finished in time. So with her birthday pending, I pulled out all the stops and here he is....Meet Stanley...isn't he the cutest?

He is completely hand stitched and I crocheted him a simple green scarf. The coat isn't my handiwork but fits him perfectly and is just right for the cold wet weather that we have been experiencing in our part of the world.

Is that not the cutest face you ever did see? I am really pleased with how he turned out and how simple the instructions were to follow. Oh, I almost forgot, he is fully jointed too. So what do you think....do you like?

Make a Month

2011-01-30T21:21:00.007Z

I mentioned in my last post about taking part in Annie's Make a Month and decided that I would try and make a small doll. I have so many bits and pieces of old lace and linen and here is what I came up with.

In all honesty, she needs some work (well a lot of work actually) and there needs to a be a fair bit of tweeking here and there, mainly in relation to the head and face. It took me a while to work out what I didn't like about her and realised that she needs to have a neck to make her face look less round and I must also position her eyes and mouth a little lower. Does she need a nose, for instance? I must also look into different mediums for her face too.

I made her skirt from a rather stained tea tray cloth and edged it in some old lace and then I made an overskirt from the corner of a damaged tablecloth. Her hair is just a length of wool that I finger knitted into a long plait that I sewed onto her head with invisible cotton. ( I am rather pleased with her hair). I used a piece of ribbon for her waistband and arms and embellished with a pretty button and an old earring in her hair found in my Mother's bits and bobs box. She is completely hand sewn as well.

Despite the mistakes, I had a lot of fun making her and have been through my stash and found oodles of pretty bits. My head is full of ideas, so I will have another go and keep on until I find a design that I am happy with.

Dev x

Winter Blues

2011-01-19T20:40:00.007Z

Hello Ladies, sorry for the lack of posts recently but I seem to be stuck with the winter blues at the moment. The lack of daylight and endless rain have taken their toll and I am feeling a little jaded. Where have the blue skies gone and the crisp, bitey wind that makes your nose tingle when you step outside? In my little corner of the world it is damp and grey and wet.

Today, I gave myself a bit of a talking too and decided that I have got to pull myself together and get on with it..whatever IT is? At the weekend I went through my craft boxes and bags and picked out pretty old scraps of linen and lace and sparklies and a few ideas started to form. Today, I started to sew and it felt good to jump back on the wagon so to speak.

I also recently read Annie's blog and decided to join her One a Month Make in an effort to keep me on track. Maybe you would like to have a go as well? Pop over to her blog then, she is offering a Stanley chart when you sign up. Super cute, I already have a few ideas for this little project.

So, I have got a couple of things in the pipeline and am working towards the January deadline. No pictures of my first project yet, but there will be soon. In the meantime, I am a birthday girl tomorrow, I have already had a couple of lovely gifts, and I just need some of the blue skies above and maybe a bunch or two of those below and it will be perfect.

Devx

Christmas Crafting

2010-12-08T21:26:00.021Z

I thought I would show you a few of our snowy pictures from last week. Sadly, it has all but gone for now, though there are still patches here and there on higher ground. I must confess to absolutely loving the stuff.

Man Person even went as far as making an igloo for the Littlest Fairy and Hector of course. He was very excited by the strange white stuff, but he felt the cold badly bless him. There were frequent trips indoors for him to thaw out and warm up.

How beautiful is that fir tree in my neighbours garden?

Following on from my previous post, there was much crafting taking place in the warmth of the kitchen, listening to the radio and sipping mugs of hot chocolate.

I bought this book months ago and want to make every single flower in it. But, being practical, and the fact that my present list is rather long, I decided on a few of the simpler designs to allow for maximum speed and wow factor. I have no doubt that many of you have a copy of it on your book shelves as well.

These mistletoe brooches are so cute and take a few minutes to crochet. In fact it took me longer to sew on the pearls and the brooch back. The original chart calls for a crochet berry, but I thought these beads made them extra special. I also had to back them with green felt as they were a bit floppy.

I have been wearing one to work and so many people have asked me where I bought it from. When I tell them that I made it, they don't believe me!

A few of them will make be used as stocking fillers and a secret santa or two that I have joined in with at work and at my sewing group. Who wouldn't be chuffed to receive one? I have made a few rose brooches as well but haven't managed to get a decent photo yet. I will post pictures next time.

Away from the book, I made this brooch a while ago using a Sarah London design. Check out her blog, it is truly fantastic.

I found this one a lot more fiddly to make up. The basic design is fine, but rolling it up into a rose took me a lot of go's, and it is not as pretty as Sarah's one, but I am happy to wear it nonetheless.

Well the weekend is fast approaching and we are off to find a Christmas tree and start wrapping up the goodies. Bye for now.

Dev x

Scented Fir Cones

2010-12-02T13:41:00.023Z

Hello everyone, I hope that you are all keeping warm and safe. We are well and truly snowed in today with school closed and roads impassable, so no work either. Overnight, we had about 6-8 inches of the lovely white stuff.

So, what better way to spend the day, than a bit of crafting for Christmas. Now, for the life of me I can't remember where I saw this tutorial, so I must apologise if it was one of "yours". I gathered the fir cones a while back and have been drying them out by the woodburner for a couple of weeks now.

In a pan I melted some cheap and cheerful candles. I didn't bother doing it over a pan of boiling water, just threw them straight in and turned the heat on low.

When it was melted, I added some silver glitter and a good few drops of spicy christmas oil to the mixture. The glitter is optional I suppose, but as these are scented firelighters, the oil is not. I bought mine in Sainsbury.

Now you have to wait a few minutes until the wax cools and starts to set slightly when you dip the fir cone into it. You have to be fairly quick at this stage and get as many done as you can before it becomes too gloopy. When this happens just put it back over a low heat and start the process over again. I had to do this several times as I had quite a lot of fir cones to cover.

They should look soemthing like this when they are done...

Tap off any excess wax as you go and place on some newspaper to dry thoroughly...and that's all there is too it. A pile of gorgeous, sparkly smelling fire lighters.

These are an ideal pressie for friends and family who have open fires or woodburners that they will be lighting over the festivities. I have some cellophane and pretty ribbon to make them look nice and will write on the label what they are for in case they should mistake for pot pourri. I just wish that we had smellyblog, because the whole house smells gorgeous now!!

On other crafting matters, I bought an advent panel a couple of years ago and told myself that I would get it done. Alas, it has been sat in a bag until now that is. A friend of mine has just made a beautiful one and it stirred me into action.

I wish this picture was better, but we have no natural light here today, but as you can see from the close ups above, it is very sparkly and bright.

Anyway, I will say bye for now and leave you with a lovely snowy dove picture. Take care all of you and stay safe.

Dev x

Halloween Story

2010-10-30T20:54:00.010+01:00

She came to with a jump. She was aware of a heavy weight pressing down on her chest, two golden orbs of light shone in the darkness, musty breathe brushed her cheeks.

"It is time Mistress" a voice whispered in her ear.

"Thank you for waking me Simpkins" she replied pushing the black cat away and sitting up in her bed. She shivered as she threw back the quilt and dressed slowly in the dark. A small sip of potion in a little bottle on her bedside cabinet helped to ease the aches and pains she felt. The guise of an old lady wasn't an easy one.

She hobbled down the tiny narrow staircase to her Kitchen. She felt the comforting warmth from the range. The clock ticked softly on the mantle reminding her it was nearly time. Simpkins purred and weaved his way around her ankles in anticipation. The hour was almost come. Her cloak around her shoulders, she slowly opened the door and listened intently. You could never be too sure who might be about even at this late hour. She knew nosey Mrs Brown next door was sitting behind her curtains waiting, she sensed the movement and smelled the woodsmoke from her fire. So, she intended to stay up then, intended to try and catch her out...

Cautiously she slipped into the garden. Clouds over the moon helped her stay hidden. She could sense the anticipation in the air, the magick of this special night of nights. Her kind were gathering in their secret places, waiting for the moment....

She stroked the besom leaning against the porch.

"Not long now my pretty" she whispered.

Hidden in the dark, she cast her shadow into the night, and sure enough, Betty's curtains twiched slightly, the lights went out and soon she could see her scurrying along the lane muttering to herself along the way. That Martha Goodbody was up to something and she, Betty Brown was determind to find out what it was.

Now the coast was clear, she moved quickly down the garden path and into the meadow beyond, closely followed by Simpkins, his tail swishing back and forth in excitement. There before her lay the lake, black and forbidding, mirror smooth. She stepped onto the surface and turned towards the moon. She bowed deeply in deference to the Goddess and began to chant her incantation....

"Lady, Goddess of the night, cast your golden magick lite, renew my lifeforce, set me free, make me young, so mote it be!.

She felt the familiar tingle as the moonbeams shone down on her wizened form. The light reflected in the water and all around her. She heard a beautiful song and felt her veins warming. Skin became smooth as alabaster, white hair now cascaded down her back, black as the raven's wing, hands became supply, fingers unbent. She gave a girlish laugh and spun around on her tiptoes, as light as feather down.

"Come besom, come Simpkins, let us fly, fly, fly"! She cried.

Jumping onto the broom, she whispered her magick word and into the air she rose, higher and higher, faster and faster. She flew round and round giddy with the excitement of being free from her earthly form. Clothing was no longer a hindrance, being skyclad was such fun, the feel of the wind in her hair. Soon she was aware of others like her and heard their laughter and felt their joy. She heard her name being called, her secret name. She joined in their songs and felt herself being renewed. If only, it could be like this for ever....

But, there was always a price to pay, a balance in the natural laws of witchcraft and dawn was all too soon approaching. The Goddess had crossed the black velvet sky, she too bound by the same laws, destined to follow the same pathway until infinity. Never ending, never changing.

Now they joined hands and sang to the Goddess a song of thanks and then one by one flew this way and that, down to the ground, back to their secret places.

The sky became softer, tinged with blue. She landed softly once more in the meadow. Simpkins jumped off and ran back towards the cottage. As the moon disappeared behind a cloud and the light with it, Martha resumed her familiar guise. She hobbled up the pathway and felt the first rays of the morning sun on her back.

As she reached the cottage, in the garden opposite, Betty was sat on her bench fast asleep and snoring gently. Martha's shadow was none to pleased to have missed all the fun and refused to come when called. Eventually though with promises of next time, it yawned and agreed it was time for a sleep.

Bettys woke some time later with no recollection of why she was in the garden, fully dressed. If she didn't know better she would have sworn that she had been on her feet all night!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL!!!

Halloween

2010-10-29T20:15:00.005+01:00

I thought you may like to read a poem written by the Littlest Fairy in time for Halloween..

I am putting the finishing touches to my witchy tale which I will post tomorrow....hopefully.

Dev x

Spooky

2010-10-27T22:21:00.011+01:00

It's that time of year again and things are beginning to take on a spooky feel here at the Fairyglade.

We have a wonderful little nursery garden centre at the end of the valley road selling pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Row upon row of orange and green. I love pumpkins, don't you?

Hector is rather fond of them too, he has really entered into the spirit of the season, (pardon the pun), being his first Halloween.

Apparently, he likes this one, this one and this one. Oh and what's that one over there.... Yep, this is my favourite!
Who's that little witchling, hiding in the playhouse?

There is much creative writing going on here too and a spooky Halloween story is very near ready for the telling....You may wish to call back soon if you dare....you have been warned!!! Cackle, Cackle, Cackle!

In the meantime.....

Dev x

Scarlet

2010-10-22T21:12:00.014+01:00

For me, this autumn's colour is scarlet red. Of course, golds, oranges and browns prevail, but I am struck by the beautiful and varied shades of red that abound in the garden and the hedgerows around where I live. Has anyone else noticed the huge abundance of berries this year? If the old wives tails are true regarding heavy crops of them, then we look to be in for a very harsh winter indeed.

We woke to our first heavy frost of the year yesterday, the pale watery sunlight doing little to warm us up. The garden has suffered and those annual plants that were clinging on to life have sadly taken a turn for the worst and have gone brown overnight.

The end of year clear up has begun. Beautiful, sweet apples have been harvested, ready to be made into pies and crumbles.

The crab apples have done really well this year and I may have a go at turning them into jelly for cold meats and cheese. I haven't made it before, so if anyone can recommend a good recipe I could try?

We have also had a huge crop of grapes this year. Some have been juicy and delicious and other varieties have been tart and inedible. Ideal for wine actually, but something that has gone by the board in recent years. So many other things take up man person's time. Such a rare commodity living as we do. Chickens, bee keeping, 4 acres of garden and woodland to manage, a puppy, chopping logs, general maintenance and school runs and a part time job...did I mention a puppy?

A couple of reasons not to get a puppy.......The slippers were originally a size 9, made of leather and perfect for man person to go about his daily business. Now they would fit littlest fairy who is a size 3!

This was once a snuggly, soft, warm bed for a snuggly, warm dog...not anymore. I have lost count of the number of times that I have had to sew the stuffing back inside, and every time I do...well see for yourselves!

So, back to scarlet then, beautiful, gorgeous, vibrant scarlet..

Happy, Autumn everyone!!!!

Dev x

Woods

2010-10-15T21:22:00.018+01:00

We walked in the woods today, it didn't feel like a happy place to be. It was cold and damp and strangely silent. No birdsong, no creatures buzzing, no squirrels. Just a sense of foreboding...

The trees were motionless, holding their breathe..watching us. The light was dull, the foliage muted despite the autumnal finery.

Dark clouds were gathering, the temperature dropping with each step we took. We found ourselves almost creeping along, treading softly, anxious not to disturb.

We didn't venture very far, it felt like we were intruding. I was glad not to be on my own....the woods have never felt like this before.

It was a relief to get back home, to see a friendly light in a neighbours window and tfeel the warmth of the fire as we opened the door and shut the darkness out. A very unsettling experience.

Tonight we are cosy under the ripply blanket, hot chocolate in hand whilst the rain beats down hard.

Much crafting has been done over the past few weeks. Christmas is just around the corner and lists have been drawn up and pretties allocated to those who will appreciate them most. Lots and lots of xmas tree garlands in soft green alpaca wool....

Lots and lots of sparkly snowflake garlands from Peter Pan DK.

And last, but by no means least, my gorgeous, heart flutteringly beautiful hexagon quilt top is almost finished. There have been one or two glitches. A whole row sewn on out of sequence and another sewn on upside down! A few choice words have been muttered under my breathe and through clenched teeth, but I am now on the last straight...want to see some?

Isn't it splendid?

Dev x

Honey

2010-09-15T20:47:00.014+01:00

For a long time now Mr Fairyglade has wanted to keep bees. So off he went to do a course with a local bee keeper and Defra and hey presto...bees! Thousands of them actually, tucked up inside a couple of carboard boxes. Lift the lid and there they were all buzzing around..quite amazing really.

They have spent all summer flying backwards and forwards collecting nectar to make the most amazing tasting honey.

Of course, it wasn't all plain sailing in the beginning. The idea that you just put them into a hive and leave them to it is a bit naive. There is actually a lot of work involved and we were beset by problems early on when they kept swarming. It is quite amazing to see and hear.

It was a warm springlike day and everything appeared normal. Until that is, Mr Fairyglade was suddenly aware of rather a lot of buzzing, an angry sort of buzzing. Cautiously making his way into the meadow area where the hive is situated, he saw hundreds of bees swarming in the air and making for a large shrub opposite the hive. A seething mass of brown. What to do was the question?

On went the funny garb, the recycling box grabbed off the shelf along with a pair of secateurs and a lot of gumption on his part having never had to deal with this before. It doesn't look that bad from a distance does it?

How about a closer look...there must easily be a couple of thousand bees on this branch which he had to lop of the bush..very scary actually.

The trick is to get them back into the hive before they set off for pastures new, taking the queen with them. It's quite a lot to lose when you consider that she is worth around £40 and a single box of bees as picture at the beginning of the post is £160.

So, Mr Fairyglade, with nerves of steel and a cast iron bladder in my opinion, very carefully and patiently put them into a second hive, swiftly thrown together. The trick is to place the branch inside a box and tap it hard so that as many bees as possible fall inside. At this point I must say that they were not particularly happy to be jolted into a big black box and flew into the air in protest. But, with patience and much holding of breath, Mr Fairyglade managed to get the main body safely inside.

Phew, what a relief for all concerned and by evening calm reigned once more in the meadowy area.

A few weeks ago, all his efforts, and theirs for that matter, resulted in the most delicious tasting honey ever. Golden jars of pale amber nectar, the clarity of which is truly beautiful.

Overall, we have filled 12 of these half pound jars, 3 Bon Maman ones and at least another pint and a half in a sterile pot because we have run out of said jars. Not bad for our first attempt. Delicious on toast and poured over warmed figs, scrumptious.

Dev x

Bunting

2010-08-01T21:24:00.016+01:00

Where is the year going, I cannot believe that it is August already? Seriously, I find it staggering that it will be Christmas before we know it. On that subject, the first week back at school last year saw Tesco shelves stocked with advent calendars and such. So in approximately 5 weeks the countdown will begin all over again. I can hear you all gasping in horror at the "C" word...sorry ladies!!

Littlest Fairy has finally said goodbye to primary school and big school beckons. This week saw me buying uniform and new shoes. I am stunned at how expensive the uniform is and the things that she is going to need. Football boots...I ask you..what is that all about? I have no objection to physical exercise, but that is ridiculous. It is really worrying her.

As is the norm nowadays, she had a leaving school Prom and a ride in a limo. Not sure how we got sucked in but she enjoyed it, as did her classmates.

It has been a busy week craftwise too. I have had to put the hexagons aside temporarily as there are a couple of birthdays looming and I had the urge to make two of my friends some bunting.

I downloaded a template last year with every intention of making yards and yards of pretty, fluttery bunting and predictably never got round to it! Go on, admit it, I'm not the only one with a folder full of "things to do" that gets longer and longer whilst I get older and older and my eyesight gets dimmer and dimmer!

So, first thing this morning I leapt into action (whilst I can still leap).

As you can see the triangle is 7 inches across and 10 inches long. Any size will do, but this seems about right and doesn't use huge amounts of material in the process.

I decided to make 12 triangle for each garland and spaced them 2 inches apart. I just made it up, but I like them close together. I used some bias binding and, after cutting out the shapes, slotted them inside the binding, pinned and then sewed them on the machine.

Et Voila, very simple and very pretty, I hope the recipients will like it. Almost too good to give away so I made three sets altogether so that littlest fairy could hang some on her playhouse.

Now then, who spotted the black beastie lurking around. Oh, how he has grown and how naughty he has become. 2 pairs of school shoes..yes 2 pairs. A Ted Baker belt, a hairbrush and about 70 trillion toilet rolls. That's his favourite at the moment and I swear he can shred an Andrex roll in under 10 seconds. The mess you would not believe!

This is another of his recent party tricks. No chair involved, just straight from floor to table in one easy movement!

The trouble is that it is so hard to be cross with something as cute as this. Just look at that face...butter wouldn't melt! Oh, and that's another thing...where is the butter..............HECTOR!!

Bye for now. Dev x

What a Scorcher!

2010-07-11T18:14:00.024+01:00

Well, what a scorcher of a weekend it has been, and if I am honest I have found it almost unbearable. The apple tree has been a god send and has enabled me to spend most of the time outside without overheating. I cannot remember the last time it rained. Watering the garden is taking hours and we are just managing to keep it all from dying in the baking heat.

The geraniums don't seem to mind the heat.

The figs don't either and are starting to swell and ripen..yum..yum!

The grapes too are thriving and producing tiny clusters of fruit which will hopefully be delicious when they ripen.

Oh, what have we here, can you see it snuggled there under the vines in the early morning sunshine? Oh my, it makes me go a bit giddy looking at it, and no it isn't too much sun! Just lots of gorgeous hexagons slowly coming together into a quilt top.

Would you like a closer look perhaps? Oh, go on then, as you are asking so nicely.....

I just never seem to tire of sewing these together, so much so, that I am also working on the second one for the Littlest Fairy.

This is just to give you a flavour of what it will look like when it is done. I have also sourced some new fabrics from Moda. I so love this material, everything they do is gorgeous in fact.

This is the Santorini range and is available from here. I discovered this site on ebay and have to say that her service is second to none. I ordered on impulse Thursday night around 9.30 pm, [having spent several days drooling] and it was in my letterbox on Saturday morning. She also has a Moda sale on right now, so all in all, fan dabby dozey!!

This will be for my third quilt. I love this design, it is called the Tumbler quilt and have seen several versions now. I also think it would look lovely in christmas fabrics too.

www.modabakeshop.com/2009/09/sweet-baby-quilt.ht

It was our village fete on Saturday, and despite the soaring temperatures, Littlest Fairy and I donned the sun lotion, hats and sunglasses and ventured down to the village green to see what goodies we could find. What do you think about this beautiful vintage apron?

I say vintage, it might not be, but it just looks the part I think. The fabric and the colours just scream vintage to me. It is handmade, 100% cotton and cost me £1. I would love to know what the material is if anyone has any ideas?

Then I spotted this lovely shoulder bag, such a beautiful shade of green suede, sort of applely. It doesn't look to me like it has ever been used and a bargain at £4. I have a friend who is going to be "green" with envy when she spots this one! Ha ha, too late, it is all mine!!

I spotted this pretty on the jewellery stall. It was a trimming removed from a dress so I was told. I thought it might come in useful for something and most of the stones are intact. [Note another piece of Moda fabric underneath].

Anyway, I am away now, the garden desperately needs another watering and I have a basket full of gorgeous hexagons with my name on them.

Dev X

p.s. Has anyone else been getting these japanese/chinese comments? I seem to have a couple each time I post. I don't seem to be able to block them except by moderating my comments before they appear on my blog. Still doesn't stop them coming through though. Such a nuisance and was wondering if there is something more sinister in them? Any advice??

Love it!

2010-06-24T21:36:00.008+01:00

I thought it was time to show you an update on my hexagon quilt which, I have to say, is now so lovely it makes me want to sing and cartwheel around the garden shouting yippee at the top of my voice. Of course, I am much too much of a lady to do anything so outrageous...and besides, I would probably seriously injure myself in the process and then where would my lovely quilt be then?

So, at the beginning of the week I had neat little piles of 6 hexagons, and by midweek they then became rows of 18.

As I explained in my last post, I was really struggling with the layout of the quilt. I just couldn't seem to get it right. I decided that I did want it random after all and just joined everything together and crossed my fingers. This afternoon I rushed home from work and took the plunge. I have very little floor space, so decided on the bed as that is where it will end up.

In the end, it was easier than I thought it would be. I only had to swap a couple of rows around to avoid duplicates, but essentially, it just fell into place and I have to say I Love, LOve, LOVE it! YIPPEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, what do you think, go on be honest, do you like????????? Please say that you do. I still have a way to go yet sewing all the rows together and then actually quilting it. I haven't decided on the material for the back or the binding yet. First things first as I still have a lot of sewing to do..and on that note, I'd best make a start.

Dev x

Dilemma!

2010-06-12T19:51:00.010+01:00

Such a Dilemma with a capital D am I having over the layout of my new hexagon quilt. I have cut out 324 templates and tacked/basted 324 pieces of scrummy fabric and now I am ready to sew them all together one by one, with tiny little stitches into something that is pleasing to the eye. The only problem is.....How!

I started by picking them out of the basket in a totally random way....The first half dozen look like this and I wasn't very happy with it....

Next up, just place them side by side randomly and see what happens.....

Don't like this either. Next idea was to put them in piles according to colour and see if that inspires me....

Nope, definately nothing happening at the moment. So I know, I will make flowers shapes up in each colour and put them together like that......

This started to make a bit of sense, so I made some coloured piles....

The problem with this idea is that I don't have enough different designs in some of the colours to make them up as I have several repeats...AARRGH!

Who would have thought that it would be such a difficult thing to do. I just want it to look right and at the moment it doesn't. Maybe it is just a case of laying it all out on the floor and playing with it until it fits. So, where do I go from here? Anyone out there who has made one of these who can offer some advice......Well, I am all ears!

***********************************************************

Now, this quilt on the other hand just feels right. I am making two, simultaneously by the way, because Littlest Fairy also needs a new one apparently!

This time, 308 templates cut out in a slightly different hexagon shape. This one is smaller and more elongated.

What is strange about it though, is that I am using mostly the same fabrics for this one as mine..and yet this one just looks so much nicer....mmmmm....can't work it out? I have my next quilting group on Tuesday, so will ask for their advice I think.

What do you think?

Dev x

Oh Dear

2010-05-31T22:11:00.009+01:00

Another cold, miserable Bank Holiday has passed and it has been too depressing for words really. There was a trip to the beach, but there were no flip-flops, no sunhats, no sunglasses, just wooly hats, wellies and a thermos of coffee. Puppy and Littlest Fairy had chattering teeth and it was a case of hot baths and cocoa when we got back. It's outrageous...WHERE HAS THE SUMMER GONE!!

So we have struggled to entertain ourselves. It has been one of those weekends of grouchyness and pickyness! Getting on each others's nerves and trying hard to keep our tempers. We are all feeling thoroughly out of sorts!

Puppy has had some fun it has to be said....I, on the other hand, was ready to explode!

To help keep me sane, I have sewn and sewn and sewn and now have a substantial pile of gorgeous jewelled hexagons.

I seriously miscounted the number of hexies that I needed for my quilt. I can't understand how, but then maths has never been my strong point. I originally counted it as 216, but that has now leap to 324! No matter though because I am loving it.

I have some new fabrics winging their way to the Fairyglade, but the Bank Holiday...the miserable cold stinky Bank Holiday has delayed them...Bah! Hopefully, postie person will drive up to my gate in the morning, the sun shining and pop longed for parcels in my box.

Sorry, for the poor picture quality. Did I mention dark, dismal, stinky Bank Holiday?... Oh well, there is always another one in August, fingers crossed!

Dev x

Hexagons

2010-05-21T21:24:00.019+01:00

I have been itching to do a bit of hand sewing which coincided with a neighbour asking me to help her make a simple patchwork quilt. A rummage through the stash revealed loads and loads of pretty fabrics that I have been saving for just such a project. Now, I have to be truthful here...I have several quilts in the making, so I must be mad to start another I hear you yelling over cyber space. However, I have always wanted to make a hexagon quilt using the paper piecing method.

The history of this type of quilt dates back to the 1800's when fabric was costly and every scrap was saved. Small blocks were constructed and several were then sewn together until it was big enough to make into a quilt.

So, the sun was shining and a gentle breeze was blowing and into the washing machine all the pretty fabric went. A few hours later and it was all dry and smelling of spring.

Out with a hot iron and you end up with lovely neat piles of crisp fresh fabric already to use.

However, we are still not ready to begin because a template has to be chosen and the required number of hexagons cut out...in my case 216 in all.
I can hear some of you groaning from here, you are saying that life is too short and just get the sewing machine out and have done with it! Go on, be honest. But, I really, really enjoy this method of quilting. I admit that the sewing is more fun, but this is all part of it. Sat under the dappled shade of the apple tree, a cool glass of elder flower cordial and the waft of wall flowers on the breeze. What could be nicer?

So, now all the papers have been done, it's the turn of all those gorgeous fabrics. I might say at this point that I use old leaflets and magazine pages for my templates. Ordinary paper is just not quite rigid enough and cardboard is too thick. The leaflets at supermarket checkouts are perfect...shhhh, don't tell tham I said that!

Then when all that is done, it's time to begin stitiching. For this quilt I am trying to make no more than 2 or 3 hexagons in the same fabrics, and in some cases like the lilac polka dot above, I only have enough material for for one single hexagon. I use cheap old cotton for the tacking/basting, which you do all the way around each hexagon. Here is what it should look like.

They soon pile up as each one only takes a couple of minutes to do. And soon my little pile becomes a small stack of bright jewels.

I am really enjoying the making of this quilt. I like the repetition of it and above all, I love the yummy fabrics that are finally getting used. All of them are 100 % cotton. I believe that it is important to do this and that you should wash all your fabric before hand, just in case of shrinkage and loose dye colours.

On the subject of yummy fabrics, here are my favourite, favourites at the moment. I still do not have enough material and so ebay will be my next port of call for some more.

I know that it isn't everyones cup of tea, but I love it!

Dev x

Charity Shopping

2010-05-17T21:21:00.014+01:00

Firstly, I just had to share this photo with you all. This is what happens when you get a naughty puppy...everything is on the menu! Shoes, boots, remote control, makeup, leather belt..you name it, he wants it....bless! The trouble is, we just can't be cross with him for too long because he is so darn cute....and he knows it I suspect!

I have done rather well in the charity shops this week. I don't often get a chance to visit them and I am ever hopeful of finding pretty things. Most times I come away empty handed, but I was rather pleased this time round. So what did I get...well, I decided that I would like to replace all my boring old grey, steel needles with colourful ones. I have enjoyed a return to knitting recently, and pretty needles make it so much nicer. I had to ask the assistant if she had any as there were none on the shelves. I was in luck and got this pretty haul all for the princely sum og £1.

The tortoise shell ones are lovely and the little bamboo ones are perfect for Little Fairy to use. You can never have too many pairs of scissors in my opinion, and these are lovely and sharp. I was all ready to leave the shop when I spotted this little gem.

My heart did a skippety, skip because someone else was holding it aloft and admiring it this way and that, and asking her friend what she thought. I almost fainted when she put it back on the rail saying that it was a bit grubby. A bit grubby...yipeeee! I sprinted from the doorway to the back of the shop and gleefully snatched it up much to her obvious dismay. She looked most put out I thought, perhaps she wanted it after all. Ha Ha too late now. Into the washing machine it went and out it came bright and fresh and much admired and fought over between Littlest Fairy and Boy Wonder. He is winning for now I fear. Oh yes, indeedy do, it's all mine!

That would have been enough to make my day, but next door was another shop and on the shelf sat this little treasure...more skippety skipping and into my bag it went....deep sigh!

My crafting mojo has been replenished and I am itching to do new things. The angel is a little further on as is my crochet blanket, but I now find myself drawn to coat hangers...yep, coat hangers. Strange but true. I have seen some wonderful examples of late and so decided that it can't be that hard. I have come up with my own version, yes siree, my own pattern.

Wow, I never thought that I would be able to say that. I am notoriously hopeless at patterns normally. However, I just threw caution to the wind and went for it. It is not finished yet so I won't post a picture just in case, but if all goes well, I may even make a tutorial. Mind you, I don't want to get ahead of myself just yet. Well, okay, here's a sneeky peak.

I am also itching to do some hand sewing and a friend has asked me to help her make a simple patchwork quilt. Well, simple I can do by the bucket load! So, I have sorted through my fabrics, made a few notes, sorted out a design and am ready to begin.

This was my first attempt at patchwork. I made this for the Littlest Fairy a couple of years ago now and it is much loved and used. I want to do something different this time and something not quite as pink. More to follow on this when I have made a start.

Well, that's it for now folks. Dev X

Washout

2010-05-03T21:21:00.005+01:00

Well, what can you expect from a Bank Holiday in the UK? Yep, you got it...rain, rain, hail, rain, a bit more hail for good measure and more rain. A total washout in our little corner of the world. What happened to the sun and the beach and ice-cream and flip-flops?

They say that it is good weather for the ducks, but we don't have any. What we do have are our lovely doves and they at least enjoyed a shower! Initially, at least. After about 4 hours or so, the novelty wore off for them too.

Now they are thoroughly soaked and miserable and just sitting around waiting for it stop, only it didn't. It was raining when I woke around 5 am and it was still raining when I went to bed at 10 pm.

So where did that leave us? Well, there was lots of this.

And there was a bit of that too...........................

Now, I wonder what that could be, would you like to see? Okay then, as you are asking nicely.

She is so sweet and pretty and I love angels. She is holding a dove in her hand and is worked in Sirdar's snowflake which I had to source on the internet. I was working...ahem...... browsing one day, as you do and I came across a guy called Alan Dart. Oh my, what he doesn't know about cute and original knitted toys. Check out his website.

As you can see from the above photos, most of my activities have taken place under my lovely, warm, wooly ripple. It has been so cold here too.

As for the little man, Hector, well he continues to be the naughtiest dog in the universe, but with a face that this, who cares....

Is he gorgeous or what!!!

There are new things afoot here at the Fairyglade. Here is a clue.... Man person has been wearing strange clothing and asked me to buy him some marigolds!!!!!!!!!!

I will leave you with that thought for now and tell you more in my next post.

Dev x

Almost forgot, Libby sent me a lovely award and I have to tell you 7 things about moi.....all totally random so here goes..............

1. I went to Iceland for my honeymoon.

2. I began training to be a midwife and delivered 12 babies, but had to give it up. Lots of different reasons.

3. I am terrified of spiders.

4. I wish I could lose weight.

5. I hate tv adverts with a passion...oh and trainers, can't abide them. That's the footwear by the way and not people who train people to do things and stuff.

6. I would love one of those japanese crochet books I keep seeing on different blogs.

7. My favourite colour is white, mind you pink is lovely too and then there is powder blue and I look ever so good in lilac....oh dear!

So there you go, hands up who would like to be my friend!! (Form an orderly queue please)!

I need to pass this on really, so any of my readers who would like to divulge 7 of their innermost secrets and desires...please consider yourself awarded and spill the beans.

Hector

2010-04-28T21:54:00.007+01:00

I would like to introduce you all to Hector the whippet.

He is the sweetest little things you could ever wish for...or at least he was when we brought him home all the way from Suffolk. A warm, cuddly, shy, sweet smelling pup. Now 2 weeks on he has found his feet and his teeth and my slippers, shoes, toilet rolls, cables, remote controls, teddys, knitting, door frames and anything that basically moves or looks as if it might!

Can you see the glint in his eyes, he is watching and waiting and ready to pounce. He loves the garden, and eating the flowers and the leaves and the shrubs and the bulbs, not to mention the wheelbarrow and spade, the broom, the fence posts, oh and the washing on the line!

He is the naughtiest dog in the whole wide world and we love him to bits already. He in no way replaces Hamish, how could he? Hamish was part of our family for nearly 15 years, but he does fill that huge gap that was left in our lives.

The house is a mess, the garden has had to be fenced off in parts to protect delicate new plants, we are absolutely exhausted as he thinks that 5 am is playtime and we have spent an absolute fortune in Petsmart!

Oh dear, bad puppy!!

He is just so darn cute and wiggly and cuddly and bitey and chewy and mischevious but he has enriched our lives and made us happy again.

Hamish

2010-04-13T21:25:00.006+01:00

We finally did the right thing by our beautiful boy Hamish. He was just short of his fifteenth birthday. I could no longer bear to see him suffer. He was blind and deaf and had arthritis in his spine. He fell over things, bumped into things, was very disorientated and sad. I told myself that he was still eating his food, so he must be okay. He still wandered around the garden, so he must be alright. But, in my heart of hearts, deep down in that place where your conscience whispers softly but persistently, I knew that he was no longer enjoying his life. It had become a struggle for him, he was old and tired and had a way of looking at me when curled up on the sofa that said he was ready to go. Fifteen years is a long time to be part of someones life...our life, and his passing has had a profound affect on us all.

Oh, "it's only a dog" some might say, and too be fair, if you are not a doggy person, then maybe it is hard to understand the attachment, the hole in our lives that he used to fill with his gentleness.

I can still hear him sometimes in my head. I still look for him on the bed in the patch of sunlight that used to warm his old bones, I still get up to let him in from the garden...

Now he is at rest in a beautiful spot in the garden, beneath the daffodils and the shade of the apple tree. His favourite spot in the garden.

Easter

2010-04-03T12:08:00.014+01:00

Here at the Fariyglade, Easter is underway despite the dire weather we have been having. Torrential rain and cold winds have been the norm for the past few days, but then what did we expect on a Bank Holiday weekend!

Today is still very cold and blustery, but there is blue sky and sunshine. We have a wonderful show of daffodillys swaying and bouncing about in the breeze. Last week, they sat there miserable, heads bowed, buds tightly closed. Today they are out in all their glory.

There has been some Easter craftiness spurred on by the Boos, a bag of polystyrene shapes and some pretty cotton fabric. The Littlest Fairy and I spent a pleasant couple of hours snippety snipping and glueing and generally making lots of mess. We watered down some pva glue and coated both the shape and the material. The glue dries clear a makes it hard and durable. what do you think?

Not only has there been Easter crafts, but doggy stuff too. Remember my trip to the charity shop and the newly washed, snuggly fleece, well it's time to meet Tilly...

Douglas is smitten by her and is resisting attempts to rehome him with the little boy he was made for.

There is another item in the making, but I am going to keep it under wraps for a little while yet. I have only just cast on a few stitches and knitted a couple of rows, but the Snowflake wool is gorgeous and soft.

I am hoping for better weather tomorrow, fingers crossed. As I type this now the rain is pouring down yet again. Where is it all coming from I wonder? In the meantime, I wish you all a lovely Easter day enjoy yourselves, relax and stuff yourself with as many easter eggs as you can!

H A P P Y E A S T E R T O Y O U A L L

Bye Dev xx

Douglas!

2010-03-27T20:52:00.011Z

I wonder who that is hiding on my garden seat, snuggled up to one of my yummy, crochet, cushiony cushions? Could it be......Douglas by any chance? I think it just might be. Shall we wander over and say hello?

Hi Douglas, come on, don't be shy!

There, that's better isn't it?

Now, don't be silly, of course your bum doesn't look big on my cushion, whatever gave you that idea!

And neither does your nose..you are simply gorgeous.

He was a delight to make and all hand sewn, he is a bit wibbly wobbly in places and some of my seams aren't fantastic, but ssshhh, don't tell him will you. Look at that tail, it is soo cute and my favourite part of him. I got the pattern from the Sew Hip magazine, issue 13 if anyone was wondering.

Of course, Littlest Fairy is not too impressed that he is being given away, and to a BOY at that! Can't be happening apparently, so number two has been commissioned. A trip to the charity shop in town, a pale honey coloured fleece has been paid for, washed and is ready to be cut out.

Do you want to see my other purchase...go on, you may as well, cos I am going to show it to you anyway. How pretty is this?

I handed over £1, yay! One whole pound. Got it home, opened it up and found this cutey inside...bonus!!

Perfect condition, no scuffs or marks and I can't believe that it is mine all mine. Items like this just don't appear for me normally, so it was obviously my lucky day, yipppeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dev XX

Lifted

2010-03-17T09:31:00.013Z

My spirits have lifted a bit over the past days, the warm sunshine and blue skies have certainly helped. It's amazing how a bit of sunny sun can cheer you up. It has been warm enough to sit in the garden the past few afternoons and watch the birds gathering nest materials and see the gnats dancing in patches of sunlight.

No daffodils as yet, they are sat sitting, buds tightly closed, waiting. Man person planned hundreds of new bulbs last autumn, and when they do eventually open to reveal their glorious golden goodness, such a sight it will be.

My hooky blanket is coming on a treat as you can see. Originally, I had intended to use lots of different stitches for the squares as mentioned in an earlier post. However, I was having difficulty making them all the same size. The different stitch counts became too complicated. The pattern that started me off on this project was from the Art of Crochet. I really like the design, and more so from the back view as opposed to the front. So I frogged all the others out and re-worked them all the same. By the way, why do we call it "frogging" when we unravel crochet work, I have always wondered?

Of course , I have to have more than one project on the go. With that in mind, I saw this little fellow and fell in love with him straight away. He is perfect for a little boy that I know.

I ummed and aahed over my choice of fabric because, if I am honest, I rarely have anything that isn't pink! So a trip to the local charity shops was called for. I eventually settled on a wool skirt which is very soft and the right colour. I just hope it looks like the picture when it is finished. I am sewing it by hand rather than use my machine. I just prefer it.

Another little project was inspired by this lady. I can't make sense of the headband part of it unfortunately, so have just made a long chain of trebles and used a button to close. The trebles make it easy to adjust the size to fit either a child or adult. I think the red bow is a tad too big, but that is easily altered.

These are actually prototypes, but I am thinking beads and sequins might pretty them up even more. They are so easy to make and perfect for little gifts. I wish that I had seen them when I made the party bags up for Littlest Fairy's birthday. Maybe for next year instead.

I have a question that I am hoping someone can help me with, especially my American readers perhaps. I have come across a lot of patterns that call for "worsted" weight yarn. Can you tell me what the equivalent wool in the UK is please? I take it that it is thicker than our DK...or is that what it means? Then we go up to chunky, could it be that perhaps? I am a bit lost. Can someone recommend a brand that I can look at online maybe so that I can see some?

I want to thank you all for your kind comments on my last post. It means a lot to me that you have taken the time out of your day to leave me a message. Thank you.

Dev x

Life

2010-03-04T21:19:00.006Z

Things are a bit of a mess at the moment. Life can be so hard sometimes and I'm tired. So I carry on crocheting my blanket, row by row, square by square, and wait........

Dev x

Watch the Birdy!

2010-02-21T16:23:00.015Z

I have always loved doves and it was only when we moved to the Fairyglade that we had the space to put in a dovecote. We started off with a single pair, though at the time we didn't know if they were an actual pair. It really only becomes apparent as they get older and take on certain characteristics. This mainly involves the females sitting coquettishly on the roof of the cote and the males running round and round in circles with their tail feathers brushing along the ground making as much noise as possible and chests puffed out with importance..mmmm, does that sound familiar?

A coquettish female, sitting pretty.

Over the years they have steadily increased and we now have a flock of around 24 or so. It fluctuates up and down as some fall victim to the local sparrow hawk and neighbours cats. They have also stayed predominately white, though one or two have bred with strays that have flown in for some supper and have never left when they realise that the pickings are so frequent and plentiful. This is one such pair. The browny female is an interloper who caught the eye of one of our lads and that was that.

She chose this rather fetching abode when man person was doing some building work in the garden a couple of years back now. The dovecote only houses 6 dominant pairs and they hang onto their boxes with a vengeance. There is stiff competition to retain or steal such a lucrative dwelling. Unfortunately, some get desperate and find alternative places to build a nest and go onto breed.

This sweet little female chose a seed tray in the bottom shed and went on to raise several babies over the year.

Last year we had to make a concious effort to try and stabilise the population because they were eating us out of house and cote. This meant having to remove the eggs every couple of days. At one point we had as many as 40 doves. Too many for us to cope with and frustrating for them because of the lack of suitable nesting. It is sad, and I can hear you all saying what a wicked lot we are, but occassionally one is overlooked and this is the result.......

How adorable is that, only a few minutes old. But they grow fast and that has now grown into this............. so there are some happy endings!

They are canny cats when it comes to food and are not above stealing it wherever they can.........poor Hamish, he doesn't stand a chance bless him! But, see how gentle he is, those two are actually feeding from his bowl.

Now, don't start panicking, he is a whippet and has always been thin. He is not actually dying from starvation despite all the ribs on view.

So basically, they live the life of riley here at the Fairyglade, bathing in warm puddles..................

Gossiping in the early morning sunshine...............

Sitting coquettishly eyeing up the talent but appearing to have no interest what so ever, as you do.............

Eyeing up coquettish females who have no apparent interest in such a fine creature as himself.....................

Yes, all in all, life is pretty good here for our winged friends. They are a joy to watch and their gentle cooing is balm for the soul.

Dev x

Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

2010-02-11T21:16:00.020Z

Who would like to take a walk with me? You will have to wrap up warm, find your scarf and gloves and wellies would be a jolly good idea I think. Are you ready....then off we go!

We must walk round the patio furniture first....mind your step.

Say good morning to Griddleshanks, (the resident dragon)! Yes I did say dragon, what's so unusual about that..everyone should have one! Honestly, his barks worse than his bite.

Down the path we go and out through the gate, should we go left or right? I think it should be left today, the hill is a bit too steep and slippery. Hope you are warm enough, pull your collar up because the snow will go down the back of your neck. Don't you hate it when that happens?

So down the lane we go, walk carefully the snow is deep, at least 12 inches in parts, it's going over the top of my boots. It's breath taking isn't it. No one else about, only the birds flitting from bush to tree to wall, looking for breakfast. Wish I had brought some corn with me. It's so quiet. No cars..sheer bliss. The main road is empty, a car abandoned on the lane opposite, too steep to drive up I guess. Someone hopefully didn't have too far to walk home through last nights blizzard. The road at this time in the morning is usually wall to wall cars. The rush hour, work, the school run. All is quiet, nothing stirs, except a man on a bicycle funnily enough.

The village green is totally deserted except for the Littlest Fairy. She has come along too. No school for her and her classmates today. The bus unable to get through the drifts.

The village pub offers morning coffee, but not at 8.30 am. Sorry to get you up and out so early.

It's snowing now and getting colder by the minute. I don't know about you, but my feet are freezing. Shall we head back now?

Say bye bye to Badger, he isn't looking too happy the wind is picking up a bit. Come on, I'll race you.

Let's go back the way we came shall we? Up the lane again. The snow is falling quite thickly now and filling in our footprints. Lucky I know the way home so we won't get lost...promise.

Littlest Fairy is full of the joys. She doesn't seem to feel the cold at all which is lucky. She stops for a rest though and makes one of these.

Then decides to make one of these to keep it company.

We are tiring a bit now, it's hard work walking through such deep snow. Are you okay, try and keep up it's not far now. Lets rest a while by the wall at the bottom of the lane and get our breath back. That's better isn't it?

Ready?... then lets get back, turn right.. there's the Fairyglade tucked away on the hillside. Can you see it through the trees, nestled there, warm and cosy?

Through the gate we go and we are home safe and sound. Did you enjoy that then?

Take off your wet things and warm yourself by the fire. I will put the kettle on shall I? Fancy a chocolate biscuit...or three!
Dev x

p.s. Check out Tabibooland for more wintery gorgeousness. She lives not far away from the Fairyglade and so got to share our snowy, snow too!

Happy Birthday...Again!

2010-02-08T21:23:00.012Z

Happy Birthday Littlest Fairy!!!

This was taken last year, hasn't she grown up? (note the snow in the background..more is forecast for us this week)

So gorgeous and funny and wonderful and sassy and all mine.

The Birthday is still on-going. She had a friend to stay over the weekend and then opened her presents yesterday evening. Today is her official birthday and we all went out for a meal this evening. This coming weekend, it's off to the cinema with girlies and more food afterwards. I don't know whether I am coming or going, who should be where and when? So disorganised this year!

However, I have managed to make a few cuties for the party bags. Remember my last post..... Well with a bit of practice I made a few little flutterbys,

I added a few of these gorgeous buttons...aren't they cute?

Pinned everything out on a soft towel and spritzed with water, then left to dry over night.

And hey presto....the prettiest handbag charms in the glade. Do you like them...and more importantly, are a bunch of 10/11 year olds going to like them too.....finger crossed!

Dev x

Deja Vu!

2010-02-01T21:12:00.014Z

Well, I came home from work on Friday afternoon, sat down with a coffee, looked out of the window and guess what I saw..........

It was heavy and thick and laying rather rapidly, just for a brief 5 minutes and then it was gone again! However, Saturday morning at around 7 am I opened the curtains and...well....there it was again!!

Nowhere near as bad as last week, but there all the same, crisp and white and very,very pretty. All rather odd really, and all rather gone again!

So what's a girl to do when the weather presents itself like this yet again..? Yep you've guessed it....crochet, crochet and more crochet. I have foolishly decided to make party gifts for Littlest Fairy's forthcoming birthday. Instead of the usual party bags full of expensive nothingness, (she is past the stage of a balloon, a plastic something or other and enough sweets to have them all bouncing off the ceiling), I had my second epiphany in as many weeks. I know...why not make something for each of them, something small and cute and woolly...mmmm! (Lots of exclamation marks in this post)! See I told you.

So my current WIP are these little pretties.

Above is stage one. Stage two involves a butterfly and stage three might be a ladybird. I haven't decided . I'm not going to give the game away just yet, I am going to let you wonder for a few days, let you ponder what they might be when finished..mmmm any idea yet? There isn't much to go on I know.

Another project still in the planning stage involves chickens and wool and Debbie Bliss bargains. Remember this pattern that I posted about?

Aren't they cute and designed by a very clever lady called Susan B Anderson who also happens to have a lovely blog . She also designs and lists her projects on Ravelry. I had to get the pattern from America from here. With postage it cost me $11 in total.

The next thing was to source some lovely cotton wool and in that I was rather lucky. I was reading Nina's lovely blog and there it was, her stash of gogeous new Debbie Bliss cotton yarn in the most scrumptious colours. So what's a person to do...I followed her link and bought myself a stash too. Sweet spring colours, lime green, soft primrose, pale pink. I think I might make the stripey one first.

I think these were reduced from £3.99 to £1.99. Bargain!!! Go and have a look for yourselves, there are some fantastic savings. I still have to get some circular needles before I can get started, but have spent my quota this month.

Anyway, for now I have a butterfly chart to master, so must dash.

Dev xxx

p.s. Saw Avatar on Saturday night, loved it!!

Happy Birthday

2010-01-24T10:38:00.013Z

Hello everyone, I trust that you have had a lovely weekend, I know that I have, despite the fact that I haven't been anywhere in particular. I have had one of those rare lazy sort of weekends, doing a bit of this and a bit of that. No rushing around, just pottering and sewing and reading and crocheting and planning new projects. Such fun, just like when the snow was laying deep and crisp and even, and believe it or not, on the high ground around these parts there are still banks of snow on the lanes and under the hedgerows, I kid you not, honest.

So what have I been up to I hear you ask, or maybe that's just the voices in my head...only kidding..(at least I hope so)! I was a birthday girl a few days ago and had money from the best Mum in the world, so bought yet more new, soft, scrumptious wool, and book vouchers from my bestest friend that paid for two new books. I love the smell of new books don't you? The pages are sort of glossy and shiny and the photography is gorgeous, you can almost reach out and touch the patterns.

Want to see............you know you want to..............

Lovely designs and easy to follow instructions. And then I spotted this one as well.

Now, if you remember my last post, I showed you the gorgeous throw in the new "Art of Crochet" magazine, and you remember I said that it would cost the price of a small continent to collect the whole series. Well this little book was £9.99 and is full to the brim of gorgeous patterns and designs. So, with a rainy day Saturday, some gorgeous new, soft wool (remember the best Mum in the world) and this little book, I had an epiphany...yes I did! I didn't need to sell a kidney, I could use these lovely patterns to make up my own squares..... So here for your delectation...........

Want to see a few more...of course you do..................................!!

Are you starting to get the picture? Can you visualise these gogeous woolly squares as a finished blanket? I know that I can. I am imagining, dark stormy nights, lashing rain, howling winds, but will I be cold, absolutely not. And then in the summer, spread beneath the apple tree for me to sit on and look...well....summery I suppose. What about as a comforter for, say the littlest fairy, when she is feeling a bit poorly and wants to lay on the sofa and just snuggle. Oh yes indeedy, I can imagine this blanket being used for a multitude of usefullness. (I made that up, sounds grand doesn't it)?

Finally, there are these little girls, sitting there looking very pretty and spring like. The pattern arrived on Friday and I can't stop looking at them. I want to make them, and I want to make them now! I don't have the details to hand, but will find them and post the link another time soon.

What do you think, aren't they adorable? Don't you just want a set too?

It has been a very nice birthday all in all!

Dev Xx

P.S. I am almost afraid to say this, so I am going to say it very quickly...here goes.....Does anyone think the new series of Larkrise is just a teeny weeny little bit less exciting than previous ones? It is still, by far, the best thing on the TV at the moment, but I keep waiting for something to happen. I know, I know, such sacrilege, maybe I should just go and lay down in a dark room until I come to my senses! Sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.P.S. How do I move that Shabbyblogs logo from the header of each post. It is driving me mad. I note some bloggers have positioned it on the top left of their page where it doesn't obscure the title of the post. HELP ME someone!!

How's Things?

2010-01-19T21:09:00.015Z

Look at that sky, is there anything more beautiful than that blueness? Is that a proper word do you think...blueness.?

So how is everybody, has the snow gone where you are? We are virtually clear now, although there are some stubborn patches that refuse to melt on the higher ground and beneath the hedges that get the least sun.

There was a brief spell of warmth on Sunday which has been overtaken by fog and mist and dampness and cold. But Sunday morning you could have almost convinced yourself that it was spring. The light was very harsh though casting strange long shadows and making us squint, but the sun had a little warmth in the shelter of the gazebo. Warm enough to take a few photos and have a cup of coffee outdoors, albeit with a woolly wrap

A few brave plants have lifted their weary head and turned towards the sunlight, but mostly they sleep on, biding their time..waiting........

Everything is just waiting...............

I have struggled a little to get back on track with my crafting after the mammoth efforts that I made before Christmas. I have run out of wool in some of my favourite colours, there are knitting patterns that I want to do, but can't understand some of the instruction, which is frustrating to say the least. I want to start another patchwork, but already have 2 unfinished projects peeping out from my craft cupboard. What about you ladies, how many unfinshed projects do you have lurking in bags and cupboards?

My last post was a plea for help in finding a copy of the new Art of Crochet magazine and you did not disappoint me. I am now in possession of said magazine and the crochet throw is more gorgeous than I first thought.

However, 120 issues at £2.99 a piece, adds up to a hefty outlay and sadly, I am not sure that I can justify such a sum. It would buy an awful lot of other more essential but less cheering things don't you think? Besides which, as was the problem with the first episode, I have yet to see it on the shelves of any of my local shops and supermarkets. Has anyone else seen it anywhere? Very illusive!

I decided to have a go at the first square, just to see...I made a mistake somewhere (as per usual) and had to pull it out again, but all is good now and I like it very much.

If you look closely you can see that the pattern is wrong and doesn't flow properly.

I now have a mind to make up my own squares using a book of crochet stitches to devise my own squares. Watch this space...........

I also thought that I would give the hexagon a go, it has been on my "to do list" for quite a while now. What do you think...do you like?. I seem to lean towards the pinks and purples but think in the case of the throw, I will try and make it as colourful as the one in the picture.

I have so many ideas buzzing around in my head, but it is a confidence thing.. can I make it, will people like it...am I clever enough? I need to stretch myself a bit I think.

So girls, what are you up to at the moment, what new projects have you started and what projects have you dug out of the cupboards to finish off?

Dev X

Help!!

2010-01-12T21:38:00.004Z

Hi there, just a quick plea to all my fellow bloggers out there. I did an edit on my previous post, but lots of you who have already popped by may not have seen it.

Can anyone out there help me obtain the first edition of the new magazine The Art of Crochet? I have scoured every shop and supermarket in my local area, and phoned several stores further afield trying to obtain a copy of this elusive mag. Most of them claim that they haven't received supplies of it at all.

I don't know if the weather has had any bearing on matters, but it seems that it has passed Kent by altogether!

I would be very grateful if anyone can help me. Maybe you have a copy that you don't want anymore or you know a little newsagents with a few copies remaining. I am not bothered about the free gifts necessarily, I would just like the details of that fab blanket that is featured in the advert and the beanie hat pattern. I will of course reimburse all the costs involved.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that one of you wonderful ladies may be able to help me in my quest. Thank you.

Dev x

Big Freeze

2010-01-10T21:37:00.021Z

We continue to shiver here at the Fairyglade due to the fact that our heating is not what it should be and we can only actually heat one room at present. It is mighty uncomfortable to say the least and we have taken to wearing thick jumpers and woolly bedsocks 24/7.

I have rung family and friends to make sure all is well and that they are warm and have enough food to be going on with. It is a mixed blessing really. One the one hand I love the stuff, I could sit and watch it fall from the sky all day. On the other hand, we are cold, particularly at night and the drive to work is fraught with danger, especially on the side roads.

I'm beginning to feel how he looks!!

(Elmer our resident gargoyle)

The lane is like a skating rink. Ice hidden under fresh snow makes for a treacherous combination and not one to be underestimated. Absolutely lethal. I am amazed at the amount of vehicles that have tried to drive up the hill outside our cottage.

The littlest fairy and friend had a lovely time playing in it all though. The picture doesn't really show the steepness of the hill..but take it from me...its STEEP.

This is one of our many log piles scattered here and there in the garden. Luckily we also have a log shed that keeps some in the dry too. It is hard work for man person keeping us warm.

It has been nice though, just staying inside, in the warm and reading and crocheting and catching up on films and such. Do you want to see a finished project, one that has been worth it's weight in gold under the present circumstances...well I am going to show you whether you like it or not.

Remember this???

Well it is now finished and looks like this..

It is as warm and snug as only a pure wool blanket can be and much fought over by the littlest one and myself. I have loved every minute of making this blanket in all it's hooky glory. What do you all think? Do you like it?

I couldn't end without showing you my xmas goodies. I may have mentioned the CK bag that I have coveted for ages and ages and ages, well here it is courtesy of my wonderful Mum who gave me a wad of cash for Christmas...ta very much ma! Little fairy and a friend bought me the lotions and potions which smell divinely of summer roses.

On that note, I will say goodnight as it is nearly my bedtime. Fingers crossed for a snowless night, though there is more forecast.

Take care all of you and keep warm and cosy.

Dev x

EDIT: Has anyone managed to get hold of a copy of the new crochet magazine that has been advertised on tv recently. I think it's called The Art of Crochet? I have looked everywhere and can't find it?

EDIT again: I have since been told by a collegue who made some enquiries that the first edition has now sold out around these parts, how can that be? So if there is anyone out there who is able to locate a copy for me and would be prepared to buy it and post it to me I would be ever so grateful. I can send you a cheque or pay through paypal if it is easier. Pretty, pretty please.

Brrrrrr!!!

2010-01-02T09:54:00.006Z

It is absolutely freezing here today, not sure of the general temperature but it is easily below zero. We are all snug by the fire as it's far too cold to even stick our noses outside. We had lovely snow fall yesterday and more forecast today.

Everything is coated in a thick layer of frost and we have fed the all the animals a bit more food. I hate seeing the wild birds pecking at the frozen ground and finding nothing to eat. The squirrels are much in evidence too, as they come down and literally chew the fat balls of the branches that we hang them on!

The thought of going back to work on Monday is too much to contemplate, especially if it stays as cold as this!

We had a lovely Christmas and Santa was very generous. I received my longed for CK bag, something I have coveted for ages and ages. More about that in another post though. For now it is about staying warm by the fire with some crochet and my Christmas books to hand as a diversion now and again.

It just remains for me to wish you a belated Happy New Year. Take care and keep warm!

Dev x

Yo Ho Ho !

2009-12-24T22:05:00.006Z

Hi there, just a quick post to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and hope that you all have a wonderful and peaceful time.

A few days ago our world looked like this........... Tonight it is absolutely pouring down.

So are you all ready for the day ahead? As I said last year at this time, if I have forgotten something or somebody, then it is too late now. Everything is wrapped, cards sent, turkey defrosted, wood piled high and a sherry or three has been consumed in front of the fire, along with a chocolate or two.

All that remains is to wish you all a fantastic time, enjoy yourselves and remember...this time tomorrow, it will all be over!!

Dev X

Back at Last!

2009-12-16T21:28:00.012Z

Hi everyone, long time no see. It's been a rough few weeks and mostly back to normal for the time being. Illness has pervaded the Fairyglade with a vengeance, but now, hopefully, all better just in time for the festivities.

So, in between being poorly, what have I been up to....mmmm..let me see.

We bought one of these.............yippee.

A very fine specimen if I say so myself. The trick apparently is to trim off a couple of inches from the base where the sap has solidified, then soak in a bucket of water overnight before bringing it indoors and placing it in a bucket of water, to which has been added a couple of spoonfuls of bleach.

We have had to be thrifty this year out of necessity, however, I have so enjoyed making presents for friends and family. I find as I get older that I just do not enjoy the shops like I used to. I hate the queues and the piped music and the heat inside the shops. I have ordered most things online that I have had to buy for the littlest fairy and the rest has been lovingly made by my own fair hands.

Snowflakes have featured a lot this year.

As have gorgeous garlands...........

And Nigella of course, this recipe is to die for, Chilli Jelly. Scrumptious as a marinade for beef and chicken or haloumi if you prefer the veggie option. However, it comes into it's own on mature cheddar, totally delicious.

I have made several batches and decorated the jars with pretty fabric and red raffia and finished off with little wooden reindeer...how cute is that?

All my friends at work will have a jar of this gorgeous, glowing, christmas red scrummyness. In addition to the ingredients listed, I also added a pinch of dried chilli flakes for a bit of extra zing.

You may have read about a swap that I did recently with the fabulous Nina in Tabibooland. Read all about it in her words, and see the pictures. I was late sending my goodies out, and in my haste, I forgot to take photos of what I sent her! Don't you hate it when that happens?

I received some lovely handmades from her and these I did photograph, so feast your eyes on these lovelies. I had looked longingly on her blog as she explained how to make these pretty hexagon balls and was intrigued by a glimpse of the embroidery. Little did I realise that I was to be the lucky recipient. Thank you once again Nina, everything is so darn cute.

A fantastic idea for all the little people who like to give gifts to other little people is this one..Snowman Soup. I cannot for the life of me remember whose blog I saw this on, so I sincerely apologise. I do seem to remember that she found the idea on a website herself somewhere, so I don't think I am treading on anyones bloggy toes. What a fab idea though and so simple and relatively inexpensive. I bought the cups in Morrisons added a couple of sachets of choccy and a few marshmallows all to be stirred round with a candy cane or two.....yummy yummy!

I am sure if you google "snowman soup" you will find the verse and the contents.

Well now, way past my bed time. Just going to make up a hot water bottle as it is freezing here. We have had a light dusting of SNOW, how great is that and there is more on the way apparently....So exciting!!!!!

Dev x

Lurgy

2009-12-01T21:44:00.002Z

Hi everyone, just a quickie to say that we have all got the dreaded lurgy again, can't believe how bad I feel. I felt I was just turning the corner and then, wham, bam, back it came with a vengeance! Nothing getting done and mild hysteria over Christmas goodies still to make has turned into total PANIC!!

Hope to be back soon.

Dev x

Lest We Forget

2009-11-05T21:38:00.006Z

Hi, this is just a quick post to show your some Remembrance Day poppies that I have crocheted over the last couple of nights. They have been so popular at work that I thought I would post you the link. They are really easy to make and take no time at all, so you have plenty of time to make yourself one before the 11th, (or even a service at church on sunday perhaps).

I made 12 over 2 nights and then sold them to my collegues at work, asking them to put the money into the offical collection pots.

So girls, crochet hooks at the ready. Find the chart here.

Dev x

All Hallows

2009-10-30T17:25:00.014Z

It's nearly that time again...

nearly time to wear these.........

and this...............

and this as well.............

It's nearly time to eat bats wings and witches fingers off these..............

It's time to decorate the house with these................

It's time to decorate the garden with these.............

and finally, it's nearly time to frighten the living daylights out of anyone who dares set foot in the Fairyglade after darkness falls.....................you have been warned!!!

Hope you all have a spookylicious Halloween.............................be afraid!!

Invasion

2009-10-25T20:57:00.008Z

Has anyone else been invaded by ladybirds? This year there seems to be thousands of them. One wall of the house today was a seething mass of red and black bodies scurrying here and there. The air was filled with them to, all of whom had a death wish and were dive bombing my coffee cup, eughh!

That said, it has been a beautiful day here at the Fairyglade. Blue skies, birds singing and soft breezes. Spring in the air.....VERY disconcerting for the time of year I must say.

Haven't been feeling myself recently, but today gave me a bit of a boost and I managed some reasonable photographs of the projects that have kept me occupied during my malaise. Do you want to see?.......................

First up some patchwork cushion fronts, at least that is what I think they will become. I attended a workshop last Saturday with the wonderful Jane, who is the fount of all knowledge of patchworky things. She makes it so effortless, that event a numpty like me can make things like this.

This is a variation of the Nine Patch for those of you who might be interested. Just need to back them and buy some cushion pads.

Then there is my tea cosy. Just had to make one after seeing the lovely pictures in Jane Brocket's book. Am half way through a second one, but that is for another post. Not bad for a first attempt methinks!

Some sweet little xmas birdies complete with crochet flower wings..

And finally, this.....

Not quite finished yet, but nearly. Just need to quilt and back with some halloweeny orange gingham and it will become a wall hanging. I made a few last year for swaps etc and never kept one for myself. So made another one just for me.

Well, that's all for now folks, short and sweet. Hope you all have a lovely week.

Dev x

Time

2009-10-09T21:29:00.014+01:00

It has rained almost steadily for 4 days out of 5 now, not that I am complaining you understand. I love the rain. I love the sound of it, I love the smell of the earth when it is wet, I love the way it cleans away the summer dust and freshens the tired foliage in the garden. It all looks lush again doesn't it?

However, slowly but surely it's time for the autumn foliage to take over from the summer flowers and shrubs. Everything is jewel coloured here at the Fairyglade, Amber, ruby, emerald, citrine ...

It’s the time of year to check on the wood supplies, is there enough to get us through the coming cold months? I think this little lot might last us a while!

It’s time to go through the wardrobe, pull out jumpers and cardigans, find hot water bottles at the back of the kitchen cupboards. Pull out an extra blanket from the airing cupboard, (how I wish I had an airing cupboard).

It’s time for dressing gowns and slippers.

So cute and sold in aid of breast cancer

It’s time to get on with Christmas crafts and make lists. Who had what last year, who will get what this year?

It’s time to use words like snuggle, cosy, crunchy, crisp in our blogs.

It’s time to get on with winter crafting, knitting and crochet with soft wool which is too warm to handle in the heat of summer.

It’s time to eat stews and casseroles again, with winter vegetables from the garden, leeks, parsnips, late potatoes, carrots. Sticky toffee pudding and custard. Porridge for breakfast.

It’s time to close the curtains at tea time, light the lamps and candles, put a log or two on the fire.

Time for reading by the fireside with mugs of hot tea from a teapot with it's own blanket...

from this......................

To this.....though it still needs a bit of work and different flowers I think.

Essentially, it is time to slow down, take stock, prepare, anticipate and appreciate all that is beautiful and comforting at this time of year.

Dev x

Writers Block

2009-10-01T21:22:00.009+01:00

I am struggling to find anything interesting to say at the moment, I suppose it is my turn for writer's block! It has been a rather mundane sort of week, you know the sort I mean, where you just drift along living your life with nothing in particular happening. Perhaps that's not such a bad thing, just plodding along, minding your own business and getting on with things without worrying or having to think too hard about things.

I have been crafting a bit here and there and have been asked to sell some of my things at another coffee morning at the beginning of November. Not really sure what to do, the last one knocked my confidence a bit. I have that age old problem of setting prices that reflect the work that I have put into something against what people are prepared to pay for it. The two never seem achievable to me. I am usually out of pocket or I take it all home with me! Decisions, decisions!

So what have I been up to I hear you ask? Well I bought this pretty panel last year but unfortunately didn't have time to do anything with it. I draped it over the sofa anyway.

This year I decided to dig it out and, get stuck in, and hopefully get it done for this Christmas instead.

I love it, and the snowmen are just so cute! I am using a variety of coloured threads for the outlining and then sequins, buttons and beads for embellishing certain elements like their hats, scarves, shoes etc. A really "jolly" project.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without angels and so I have begun making my pretties out of old linens and lace. I have made so many of these as presents over the years, all hand sewn too, no machines here. Each one is totally unique.

And finally, I couldn't possibly leave this post without a picture of gorgeous, rippley, woolly goodness.............my mystery project, which I am guessing, that you are guessing, what it is going to be when it is finished.

There are no words to describe how much I am loving this piece, the look, the feel, the warmth. I just can't stop looking at it. The design is just so addictive and lends itself so well to whatever colour scheme you choose.

On that note, I will away and maybe do a couple of rows before bedtime. Hope this post hasn't bored you all to sleep!

Dev x

Crafty Weekend

2009-09-20T20:39:00.008+01:00

Here at the Fairyglade we have had the best weekend, the kind where there is nothing pressing to do (if you ignore the ironing basket), nowhere in particular to go and no one of any importance about to descend on us for sunday lunch and all that entails, ie hoovering, dusting and the ironing basket! We have pottered and mooched about and read books and crafted and crafted and ....well....crafted some more.

I made myself a crochet roll because I am always loosing my hooks. It's a bit wobbly along the bottom but I don't mind. I used a different pattern than the the one I used for the stanley roll and found it much more fiddly.

Then I managed to get hold of a fleece blanket to finally make up a couple of cushion covers with my gorgeous, soft, snuggly crochet squares..what do you think?

They are now sat on the sofa in my garden room for all to see. I absolutely love them. They are just so bright and jolly and they really cheer me up when I enter the room.

There has been some christmas sewing too, but as some of the things are for presents, I can't show you any photos.

All in all, it has been a very productive two days.

Devina x

Quilts Galore

2009-09-14T21:30:00.021+01:00

The weekend saw me in a tiny hamlet of houses not far from our village at their Quilt Festival. It is held in the church of St Laurence every three years. The words stunning, beautiful, inspiring, breath taking, vibrant all spring to mind as I review the photographs. I am truly in awe of the women who can produce such wonders! This was one of my favourites, though there were so many to drool over.

This is a stunning version of the Cathedral Window and was draped over the choir stalls. I love this design but have never tried it, but would love to have a go.

The angle of these was a bit awkward to photograph as they had been suspended from the beams in the church roof. This quilt was entitled "Freya's Quilt" and the one below is Xander's Quilt. Both are grandchildren of the main organiser of the event. She is a prolific quilter and craftswomen, and hold classes at her house. Sadly, although I would love to attend these lessons, they are held during the working day...deep sigh! Maybe one day when I am retired!

I loved these little girly quilts, as did the littlest fairy.

A gorgeous nursery rhyme quilt and one for a first grandchild...so cute!

I particularly loved this one as well, made from satin, silk and old fashioned lace and part of the makers wedding dress. I love the crazy patchwork style of the squares.

Just so many beautiful quilts....... a pity it is a triennial event!

So, what else did I get up to this weekend...well I finished a couple of projects myself, not on the same scale I have to admit, but I am pleased with them all the same.

This Stanley fabric from CK is just so darn cute, don't you think? I made this pretty crochet roll and needlecase

Both these items are available in my shop.

Back to the ripple tomorrow me thinks, has been a while since I got all hooky.

Dev x

Lucky

2009-09-10T21:33:00.015+01:00

A chance conversation at my monthly craft meeting resulted in a gorgeous bag of vintage tablecloths, runners, cushions and napkins making the journey home with me. I was overjoyed at this free bounty, which was on it's way to the charity shop/ local tip, depending on which came first! Nearly every item was in pristine condition, and of those that had a few marks on them, most of the stains came out in the wash.

I am amazed that there is still so much of this precious treasure stashed away in peoples cupboards, lofts and attics etc, when you consider how much of it is thrown away or finds its way into a bargain bucket in a charity shop or boot fair maybe, ready to be snapped up and loved again but us vintage collectors.

This fabulous haul came from a friend, who in turn acquired it from her mother-in-law. She simply didn't want it herself, and by her own admission, it had sat in a chest for ages, unloved and unappreciated.

Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing that says that she has to like this kind of thing. I just feel immense sadness when I think of all the work that has gone into producing these wonderful linens.

It got me thinking about the ladies who, in times gone by, had taken the time to make these things. Who were they? What were their circumstances? These beautiful items were lovingly made and embroidered by someone for their homes and probably as gifts for family and friends. Each piece would have taken a lot of time, each piece would have been washed by hand, scented with lavender and kept in a special cupboard perhaps. They were probably arranged on furniture in the parlour, or maybe brought out for special occassions, like afternoon tea taken in delicate china cups and using tea tray covers, silver sugar tongs and dainty porcelain plates.

And then.......one day......they end up discarded, labelled "old fashioned" and "stuffy", and ultimately, thrown away. Terribly sad when you think about it.

Someday in the future, when I am in my dotage, will my family clear out my cupboards and drawers, and deem my precious collection " a load of old tat". I sincerely hope not. What items of our modern day living will be covetted and collected by future generations I wonder?

Will our lovingly made patchwork quilts and granny blankets and cushions elicit the same response by a future generation, and will there always be people out there like you and I who will give them a new home and love admire them as we do today... I sincerely hope so.

Dev x

Real World

2009-09-05T20:50:00.015+01:00

Well, the last few days of the summer holidays are drawing to a close. Sadly, Monday will see us all back in the real world again. This last week has been such a good one. The littlest fairy and I have done much crafting, shopping and visiting Nanny to be pampered for a few days in readiness for the new school year.

So, do you want to see how I have been filling my days this week? Well, lots of handsewing...which if I am honest is my absolute favourite.

Pretty little birds made from scraps of fabric left over from patchwork projects.

I will be listing these in my shop tomorrow hopefully, so stop by and have a browse.

My new range of scissor charms that can double up as mini pin cushions.

I will be listing these in my shop tomorrow hopefully, so please stop by if you have a few moments.

These pretties are already in my shop if you fancy a bit of early christmas shopping!

I also made a needlecase which is something that I have needed for ages.

There has also been a fair amount of shopping this week and I am so pleased with my purchases.

What about this fab messenger bag from the Merchant Chandler made from heavy duty, recycled paper..only £3.99. It makes a great craft bag!

Then I found this gem in New Look and thought how very CK it is..what do you think? A bargain at £6 I thought.

Then there was this little beauty for only 50p. The work that has gone into this is amazing. I wish that I was that clever, or indeed, that I had the patience to make something so delicate.

And my absolute bargain favourite...from TK Maxx.....The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket reduced to £7. I nearly fainted when I saw it on the shelf. I have coveted this book for ages now. I grabbed it quick as there was another lady loitering nearby. I practically skipped to the tills!

I am seriously in need of a tea cosy like this. I have an idea of my own floating around in amongst the grey matter, just need to translate it to paper and crochet hook.

So, all in all, we have had a lovely week.

Bye for now Dev x

Giants

2009-08-24T21:13:00.018+01:00

There is a definite nip in the air lately, has anyone else felt it? The nights are drawing in and the early mornings are damp with dew. The birds are quieter, the corn is being cut and harvested, there are subtle changes in the garden.

A slight fading of the foliage, not necessarily noticable in the heat of the day.

Berries in the hedgerows, seed heads, fields empty of their crop. And the smell in the air, hard to define, but earthly and damp.

The days are still warm though, the weekend for us was a scorcher and so there was nothing else for it, but to head to the beach and swim, and swim and collect pretties.

We are always on the lookout for stones with holes in them, and if we are really lucky, find ones that have crystals formed inside them. Sparkly and glittery, like diamonds, but hard to photograph.

Then there is this delightful place, set high on the cliffs, one of the areas best kept secrets. So much so, that I have lived in the area for 12 years and only discovered it's whereabouts last year.

As you sit with your ice cream in the summer sun, this is the view from your seat. A small paved area and a ricketty fence is all that stops you from falling down a very long way.
Not much time for crafting this week, but lots of sun and sand and fun and swimming and walking on the beach as the sun falls towards the horizon.

Not such a little fairy after all!

As I say, not much crafting, except that I did manage to put together my swap goodies and get them in the post to my secret partner, I in turn await my parcel from an unknown destination. A great twist to the swapping game. None of us know who we are to receive our goodies from, we only know who we are making things for. Alas, I cannot show the photos, because in my haste to get them posted, I forgot!

Have a couple of WIP that I will be listing in the Fairydell shortly.

Enjoy your week everyone.

Dev x

Tilda (EDITED!!) Shop open for business!

2009-08-13T21:23:00.015+01:00

Hi there, and for all you Tilda fans out there, have you seen Tone Finnangar's newly released book...no...well here's a sneaky preview to whet your appetite and have you rushing to log onto Amazon. I pre-ordered and received it a few days ago. If you are a fan then you won't be disappointed, every page is beautiful, every photo stunning and the designs....well here are a few snaps to be going on with.

Who wouldn't want to sit at that desk, designing and crafting?

Beautiful and instantly recognisable Tilda Angels....

Beautiful cupcakes...........

Adorable creatures.................

A bag just waiting to be made from fabulous materials.......

Sandcastle anyone?.................

A truly beautiful book.

************************************

Now then, do you want to see what I have been up to over the last couple of days? Go on.........you know you want to.....drum roll please........

They still need cushion pads and backing, but I am so in love with these little jewelled grannies, there isn't a colour combination that I don't like. I just cannot stop looking at them!

Dev x

Edited --I just wanted to tell you that I have opened my shop for business, so if you have a moment, then please stop by. There is a link on the side bar. Thanks Dev x

Birthday

2009-08-09T20:24:00.012+01:00

Hello everyone, phew what another scorcher of a day. I am starting to find it all a bit unbearable now...dare I say that a rainy day would be most welcome!

We have spent a lot of time at the beach over the past few days and have managed to brave the sea to cool down our scorched bodies.

It is hard to capture on a photograph, but this day the sea was a silvery undulating mass, like liquid mercury almost. Very hard to describe, but hypnotic to watch. A bit like the scene in one of the terminator films, where the blobs of mercury like liquid pool together to form the baddy. Spooky!

The whole experience is a delight to the senses. The gentle lap of the waves as the tide goes out and the crashing of the waves as it returns a few hours later.

The shriek of the seagulls on the lookout for a snack. Woe betide if you wave your ice cream in the air!

The smell of the sea, fresh and invogorating. The salty taste in the air, not to mention in your sandwiches, no matter how hard you try and keep them covered.

Deep breaths, deep breaths..much hopping about and back turning against the waves racing towards you, breath taking coldness against warm skin. Of course, there are always the brave few who can run down the hot sand and throw themselves over the oncoming waves...brrrr!!

I spy with my little eye, through the hole in a pretty stone...?

So the title of the post is confusing perhaps? Well it was a dear friends birthday over the weekend and I should have been adding the finishing touches to her present, but instead we got side tracked with the above. Therefore, Saturday afternoon saw us rushing home as the oncoming tide slowly devoured the beach. Last minute adjustments tackled and voila....

A simple plain knitted cushion cover becomes a pretty embellished cushion cover. A much admired and aahed over cushion cover and one that looked very comfortable in my garden room, and so very hard to part with cushion cover

And finally, a quick snap of a secret WIP..can you guess what it might be yet?

Dev x

Crochet creations

2009-08-02T21:32:00.009+01:00

I am quite excited about my new crochet creations. I was having a bit of a play with all the pretty yarns in my stash and wondering what I could do with the small amounts left over from bigger projects. So here for your delectation....

I love them to bits and have sold, yes sold 2 already!! How neat is that! Two friends actually liked them so much they were prepared to dip into their purses and give me some cash. You can't get better than that can you! After my disasterous day at the village coffee morning my confidence took a bit of a knock to be honest...and now, well... is there a market out there for these do you think? I have been toying with the idea for a while now. I have lots of ideas.....mmmm...watch this space!

These ones are made from the lovely yarn that I received from my swap partner Alessandra, aren't they pretty, I love the colours?

I also received a copy of her gorgeous wreath chart. It is so well written that I can actually understand the instuctions which is something that I usually find completely baffling as those who have been following my blog for a while will know by now. The only daunting thing about the project is at the beginning when she starts by saying "make 504 chains". I kid you not!! There is no chocolate shot as it was all devoured before you could say "make 504 chains"! Well maybe not that quick, but you get my drift. Yum, yum....

If you fancy a bit of a swap yourselves, then pop over to CT who is hosting a yarn and xmas decoration swap. You need to sign up by August 5th I think. Sorry to mention the "C" word but there are only 21 weeks to go. It doesn't hurt if you close your eyes and say it very quickly. Honest!

I have been tagged by Melanie to do this bit of fun and pass it on to 5 others.. So here's what you need to do.

1. Collect the book that you have most handy
2. Turn to page 161
3. Find the 5th complete sentence
4. Cite the sentence on your blog
5. Pass it on to five other blogger friends

In my case the book just happens to be Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson.

Laura, conscious that she was no principal in the affair, and only invited to partake out of courtesy, declined wistfully but firmly; Martha said she would like a little more if "mum" pleased, and the little brother merely pushed his plate forward.

I’m going to pass this onto:-

Bye for Now Dev x

Poorly Person

2009-07-19T21:36:00.008+01:00

I have been a poorly person this week which resulted in me having to take a couple of days off work. Mixed blessing really. One the one hand it was nice to lay under the duvet all day but was too ill to even pick up a hook or a book for that matter. The sickness bug has done a full round here at the Fairyglade, giving each of us a seperate dose just to keep things fair. However, all is better now and we are raring to go.

This weekend has been a bit of a catch up, and of course that means that my crochet has been top of the list.

Oh what joy! Single granny's...............

Piles of grannies.....................................

Mounds of grannies.............................................

Towering grannies........................................................

And finally, when divided into two sections, two cushions of grannies!!!

I can't describe how happy these little squares make me feel. I simply love looking at them, moving them around each other to see what goes with what, feeling the softness of the Rowan wool which is a dream to work with, if a little expensive....

With that in mind I have cleared out the littlest fairy's wardrobe and placed all her pretties on ebay. Don't be alarmed, I have left her one or two bits to wear, bless her.

(If you are interested my ID is Gretagrouch. On the home page, click on feedback forum at the bottom, enter my named ID and bob's your uncle!)

I have chosen some lovely Debbie Bliss wool for my swap partner, Alessandra over at Just Be Happy. Not sure how I will manage to stop myself eating the chocolate part of the swap now that I am feeling better. Two seperate bars of the yummy stuff have mysteriously disappeared in the last week..have you seen them? No one is owning up here, and a this rate she will be receiving the most expensive bar of Cadbury's in the known universe!!

Time for bed now, feeling very weary now Will leave you with another picture of my grannies...............

Dev X

Cushions, Clouds and Crochet

2009-07-13T21:19:00.013+01:00

I forgot to take my camera to the village fete on Saturday which was a shame really. We are very traditional when it comes to the fete. There is bunting, a brass band, maypole dancing, tombola and tug of war to name but a few of the many attractions. It was a happy event and well supported despite the sky looking like this a couple of hours before hand!

I thought that I would show you the lovely goodies that I received from my swap partner, Maggie. I feel that my parcel definately fell a bit short, but in my defence, I felt so unwell most of the 2 weeks leading up to the deadline.

A lovely scarf and mittens, a beautiful scented knitted heart..I don't think I have seen a knitted heart before? A pretty blue bag which the little fairy commandered as soon as I unwrapped it as a storage place for her nintendo games. And the most gorgeous tea cosy. Many thanks Maggie.

Isn't that just the sweetest tea cosy you have ever seen?

For my part, these were two of the items I did manage to make myself. Nowhere near as fab as Maggie's items. I made this brooch from a chart on Julia's blog, I know that I didn't do it precisesly as per her instructions, but as you know, me and charts just don't get along! I still think that it is pretty though.

The past week or two has seen me rushing home to see what the postman has brought me. I mentioned in my last post that I had gone a bit mad on Ebay and Amazon and here are some of my purchases. Food for the soul...

And talking of the soul, my heart skips a little beat when I see these little squares of coloured magic. This will be the first cushion I am crocheting to make my wrought iron garden furniture a bit my comfy and bright. Only another 36 to go.

The mystery item mentioned in my last post will remain a mystery for a little while yet and the gorgeous afghan is on hold until I sell a kidney to fund the yarn to make them both.

Lastly, check out Alessandra's blog to take part in a yarn & chocolate swap. Yes, you did hear correcttly, I did say YARN & CHOCOLATE in the same sentence....is there anything better! I am not sure when the closing date is, so get over there right now.

Dev X