Thursday 28 April 2016

Five on Friday

A really busy week this week with visits from family and trips to the hospital.  My sweet husband is having a hard time at the moment with a flare up of RA, several variations of treatment have been tried to no avail.  He has been on most trials but due to the stills disease not a lot seems to work.  At the moment he can only walk a few steps and is in constant pain.  This weird and unpleasant weather is not helping.  On a more positive note we finally managed to complete the jigsaw we started some weeks ago and several crosswords have been done.  I also found time to do a little crafting as we have lots of birthdays and events coming up.  Cards are the focus of my five on Friday post.  I am once again joining Amy over at Love Made My Home for the weekly get together and showcasing five of the cards that I have made this week.

 
The rattan flowers and tiny button match the beautiful paper perfectly and makes a wonderful Birthday card.
 
 
My second card is another floral but using a distinct darker and larger background paper.  The centre of the paper flowers are finished with a flower shaped pastel blue button.  Perfect for any occasion as the sentiment is "Just to say".
 

 
The third card I made uses a wooden embellishment as its focal point and is quite striking with a spotted background paper.  The sentiment is perfect for a friend I am sending it to who is having a rough time at the moment.
 

 
 
Card number four is a fun card using some padded embellishments which give it a 3D effect, perfect for any occasion.
 

 
Finally, card five is a card using some scraps of Harris Tweed, a beautiful fabric woven on the Stunning Western Islands of Scotland.  The colours evoke stunning memories of the lochs and moorlands.  It is certainly a place that stole my heart, we dream of one day living there.  For now we plan our little strolls and imagine the changing colours of the sky and sea, hand in hand making our dream a reality.  Amazing what a piece of fabric can do!
 

 
I have quite a busy day planned but I will visit later this evening.  Have a wonderful weekend.
 
See you soon.
 
 
 
 

Wednesday 27 April 2016

The Search Continues...

 
Where are you Wilbur?
 


 
Here I am Granny...
 
See  you soon.


 







Tuesday 26 April 2016

A Magical Weekend

We awoke to a bright sunny day on Saturday so had a stroll around the car boot sale at Stickney.  Quite a large car boot sale which was a delight to walk around.  A wide and varied sale of unwanted items.  Despite the wide variety there was not a lot that appealed other than the fresh vegetables, which always taste so much better than bought from the supermarket.  Local and seasonal so a low carbon footprint which is a bonus.

I did find some beautiful vintage table cloths that were quite the bargain.




 
I bought three at 50p each and washed them as soon as I got home, they had a musty smell about them which I don't like.  They have come up a treat and will adorn my dining table as soon as they are dry and ironed. 
 
Daffodils were also bought for 50p, a variety that I had not come across before and really pretty.
 


 
Sunday was a wonderful day spent with some little visitors.  Wilbur had decorated me a beautiful storage pot which we filled with buttons.  We had fun sorting them into size and colour.  I am hoping that he will have fond memories later in life of these precious moments.


 
Grandad also had some fun teaching the dog some tricks...boys!


 
Hector is really coming along, he is smiling and cooing and his face lights up when he see you.
 

 
A really great day, lots of fun, laughter and smiles. 
 
Where are you Wilbur?????  Granny can't find you...
 
 
I wonder where Wilbur has gone???
 
Hope you had as much fun as I did this weekend.
 
See you soon.
 
 

Friday 22 April 2016

Five On Friday - Button Heaven

For anyone who knows me or has been following this blog for sometime, you will know that I am a great lover of buttons.  I collect them and have a wide range of colours and styles both modern and vintage.  I love to look at  them and display them in my craft room.  Last week I showcased a beautiful book that I had received for my Birthday Buttons and Stitch which has 24 wonderful projects to use button stash.  I have made a start and will be able to show you five projects in the near future.  For now I thought I would share five fun facts about buttons.  The pictures throughout the post are not necessarily linked to the fact they are photos of my collection.



 
1.  The word BUTTON is derived from the French word bouton which means bud or knob.
 

 
2.  Prior to the introduction of the "button hole" thought to be in the 13th century buttons were generally ornamental.  The button hole was thought to have been brought to Europe from the Middle East by knights returning from the crusades.
 


 
3.  Plastic buttons became widely available in the 1930s.  World war II brought many advances in plastic technology.  Acrylic buttons were actually made from material left over from the manufacture of bomber gun turrets.
 
 

 
4.  During the World Wars the British and US Military used button lockets, which were buttons made to look like a locket and contained a compass.
 
 
5.  In the late 1800s when Queen Victoria went into mourning she obviously wore black and  she wore true jet glass buttons.  This had a great influence on fashion during that period.  True jet glass is hard to come by but of you do get lucky the easiest way to know if you have the real deal is by the feel.  If the button feels warm, you may be a winner.
 


 
I am linking up with Amy over at Love Made My Home for the weekly get together.    Hope the weather holds and that you are able to get out and about this weekend.  Take care.
 
See you soon.
 
 

Wednesday 20 April 2016

A Rare Day In The Garden

Red sky at night, Shepherd delight or so the old saying goes so when I snapped this red sky Tuesday evening I was hopeful for a good day Wednesday.


 
I was not disappointed , and rose to a beautiful morning perfect for making a start in the garden.  The lawns have now been cut, they were a bit of a struggle as they were still a little wet.  All the pots have been weeded and a good start has been made on the vegetable plot.  There is an area of gravel by the drive that seems to have more weeds than anything else but that will have to wait for another day.  Let me take you on a little stroll around the pots, they are a delight at this time of year.
 





 
It is such a delight to sit and take tea surrounded by so much beauty.  The table and chairs are in need of a little work but I am saving that for another day.  These old bones have had enough for one day.









 
The herbs are doing well and are starting their process of regrowth.  I have lots of packets of seeds which I will start off once I can get some of the seedlings out of the house.  Thus adding to the wide variety that I now have.
 






 
The rhubarb is growing at a great pace and I will be able to harvest some shortly.  Rhubarb and ginger jam is high on the agenda along with rhubarb crumble.
 

 
I have taken a chance and planted out some lettuce, lollo rossa but the forecast is predicting more frost over the weekend.  All I can do is sit back and wait.
 
 
Still a long way to go, but a start has been made.  The peas have now been sown and tomorrow is another day.  I need to sit down and warm up, although it appears sunny it is still cool.
 
See you soon.