HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

I am feeling really happy today because next week is half term in the UK and that means no school for a week for Amy and I have taken the week off. Hopefully we will get to have a few days out, weather permitting. We are planning a day at the coast. I love those days when we can get onto the beach and walk with Jasper, our dog. My eldest daughter and her 2 daughters are also planning on coming with us so we should have a great time. It looks really lovely outside today, the sky is blue and the sun is shining but it is really cold. The snow has all gone now and hopefully that is the last of it for this winter.

I hope you all have a wonderfully romantic Valentines Day this year. Let's hope that special someone in our lives has remembered to buy the card and the most amazing box of chocolates to deliver to us in the morning.

AMY'S FIRST PROPER SNOWFALL

Amy is 8 years old and this is the first proper snowfall she has experienced.  She got really excited on Sunday when it started to fall and when she went to bed Sunday night she could hardly wait for the morning.  This picture was taken at 6.45 am Monday morning.  She was dressed and out there before I could say anything to her.  Unfortunately for her, her school was not one of those that closed so she had to spend the day at school.  Luckily the school gave them plenty of playtime outside so that they could make the most of this experience.  We don't get this amount of snow very often in the part of the UK where we live.  As soon as she was home from school, she was changed and back out there until nightfall.  

VALENTINE TREASURY

Many thanks to Beadbeautyboutique of Etsy for including my pretty pink heart keyring buddy in this ever so cute Valentines Treasury.  I made this keyring with Valentines in mind but it is a cute accessory that would look great any time of year If you are looking for some fabulous jewellery making supplies at great prices, check out the Beadbeautyboutique.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - CUTE FOR VALENTINE

Amigurumi Sock Monkey

SCHMAP SYDNEY GUIDE

I was recently contacted by Schmap asking if I would give permission for the above photo to be submitted for selection for the sixth edition of their Sydney guide.  I have just had an email from them to let me know that it has been selected and it can be viewed in the guide here. 

THREE TREASURIES

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  How exciting to be featured in THREE treasuries this week.  Capecodconsignments, who produces the most amazing crocheted items, featured my sweet Ellie Octopus Pincushion in her cute treasury.  And Jolijoli, who makes beautiful pieces of jewellery, has featured me in two of her treasuries.  The first had my Berry Red Glass  Bead Bracelet in it and the second had cute Petunia Rabbit.  Thank you once again ladies it is much appreciated.

NEW YEAR AND NEW PINCUSHION

Welcome to 2009 and also welcome to the latest addition to my pincushion buddies. Ellie Octopus is made in a sunshine yellow yarn, she is a sweet and useful addition to anyone's sewing accessories. Ellie is now available to purchase in my Etsy store.

I have had a couple of bad colds over the Christmas and New Year period which have stopped me from making new items and posting on my blog. I am slowly getting over them and looking forward to getting back into creating and posting.

Luckily I wasn't struck down until after Christmas Day so I was able to enjoy the festivities with my family. On Christmas Eve I managed to make an old fashioned sherry trifle, I hadn't made one of these for years. It turned out really well and it was as delicious as I had remembered. I had 4 egg whites left over from this so I had a go at making meringues. This was the very first time I had attempted them but they were so easy and they were perfect, crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. The other things I had a go at were Pudini bon bons which were featured on one of Nigella Lawsons' episodes. They were made with a mixture of christmas pudding, dark chocolate, sherry and golden syrup. The mixture was then rolled into small balls and then decorated with melted white chocolate and small pieces of cherries. The idea was to make them look like old fashioned Christmas puddings. They were very nice, but very rich.