Love is all around us

My chalk board painted inside my larder cupboard door

After a quick flick round the house with a duster (get me) I noticed how many objects I have that are heart orientated. I've got them hanging off doors, lighting up shelves, and decorating cupboards.

love really is all around us!

Happy Valentines Day to you all x

Burnt Jam Hearts

As a couple we don't do roses or go for a "special" meals out to celebrate Valentines Day, we're more of a large bar of chocolate with a cuppa tea and a homemade gift kinda couple. How could I forget my love heart roll that was so heavy and hard it never went mouldy and was kept for years or my love heart jam tart that I forgot was in the oven a burnt so badly it welded itself to the baking tray? You don't get that kinda quality gift from the supermarket do you? (!)

So after fifteen years I tend to stick to cards and non-baked goods!  Whilst dusting (!) today I found a few of my most recent efforts wedged between some books in our dining room. Some sewn, some paper cutting and even a little vinyl and wire work too!

 None cost as much as a shop card just a little time and effort which is what Valentines is all about x

Happy Valentines Day! Do you make your cards and gifts? I'd love to see them!

A Year of a Twiggy Pom Pom Tree

Last year I made some twiggy trees in jam jars to decorate the tables at our office Christmas party. Dog wood twigs from the garden painted and sprinkled with glitter, topped with red wool pom poms created the tree framework. With cheapo star battery lights from Poundland woven through the twigs, a Happy Christmas garland made from ink stamping, bakers twine and an old book completed the look.

After the party I gave each of my Pom pom crew (the girls helped make the pom poms) a tree and took one home for myself, adding a vase in place of the jar and my twigs have gone a full year and decorated our table and mantel with each season.

Christmas 2012

Easter 2013

with the edition of handmade fabric eggs

Summer 2013

Multi coloured poms and a robin!

Christmas 2013

Silver mini baubles in place of poms, a feather bird and glitter festive greeting (lights still working!)

Now 2014 

Loads of feathered birds and a pom to match each one, adding a little colour

on these wet, windy days.

My twiggy tree has made me smile with happiness all year, not sure my OH would agree though!

The birds came from Tiger (2013) and only cost a few pounds 

The lights - Poundland £1!

Multi Pack batteries for lights ( I had originally 6 sets of lights) Poundland £1

Paint, Glitter and Wool for Pompoms - already owned.

It's a Wrap!

A good friend celebrated his birthday last week and during his lunch break he came round for a cuppa, slice of cake, and as you're never too old a surprise gift or two. 

I decided to make my own wrapping paper and had a good crafty half hour having a go with my new stamps bought in the Paperchase and my alphabet stamps purchased at a summer fair for the princely sum of 50p!

I stamped stars in both red and blue over the brown paper previously used to wrap a bunch of flowers I'd received, then randomly added "Happy Birthday" and a red bus, a graphic nod to "T" living in London in the spaces left.  Not rocket science, but a good quick, individual and cheap way to add a little extra to a gift!

Left to dry and when wrapped up his pressies looked ready to be ripped open, shame after all that effort! 

*Paperchase stamps reduced to £4 in sale (came with ink pads)

Paper - free

Alphabet stamps - 50p local village fair

January blues

The worst meal ever!

I have to say I'm glad January is behind me, it's not been the best start to the New Year, before Christmas I had a couple of nasty colds that had totally floored me, so much so I ended up with steroids and antibiotics. I have a lung condition which means I have to have extra oxygen all the time, it's been this way for the last 10 years and I never really talk about as I don't want it to define who I am. 

Christmas was a bit of a wash out as my breathing became more difficult, not one to complain I soldiered on and just kept having little naps to restore my batteries. On the weekend of the 4th of January I ending up being carted of in a ambulance to hospital, not my finest hour! The Ambulance men where lovely and I have only praise for having to deal with me (as I didn't want to go!) 

To cut a long story short I had pneumonia, and ended up staying in hospital on the chest ward for over a week having antibiotics, nebulizers and rest. My family rallied round me, bringing in food (James Martin is seriously needed to sort out the veggie menu!) visiting me every day, twice a day for which I'm so grateful

I've been home for three weeks and have a new machine which keeps my co2 levels in my system down at night, its called a CPAP and is also used for people who suffer from sleep apnea. I averaging 3 hours sleep a night as i'm having trouble adjusting to it. That said, it's lovely to be home with all my friends popping in and I can feel my strength and stamina returning with each day.

I'm sure things will get back to normal very soon x

The moral of the story is, always get a persistent cold checked out, just in case.

Thank goodness it's February!