A little Catch up...

Now that I finally have access to the Internet at home I can give you all a quick round-up of some of the things I've been up to over the last few months...

I Moved Home Hurrah!!
I've gone from one very overfilled room...

...to four rooms...oh and a share of a bit of garden!!!

These are the letting agents pics which make it all look much bigger than it really is, but even so, I can't begin to tell you how lovely it is to have a bit of space!

I've Done a Lot of Low Budget Decorating!
As we are only renting there is no way I can justify spending loads on making this place more presentable (though I can dream) But it is amazing how much of a difference a splash of white gloss can make and just how far a £12 giant tub of magnolia paint can go!!! (More on this later).

I've Found the Perfect DAB Station to Decorate To!

and cook too, tidy too and just generally dance and sing very badly too.
It's Absolute Radio's New Digital channel Absolute 60's (Listen to it online here) We listen to
BBC 6 Music at work which I really love, but when I come home I need something a bit more nostalgic to keep me going through the chores and as the 60's is my favourite era for music this station fits the bill perfectly!

I Now Officially Own White Goods!

A washing machine, cooker, and a fridge freezer...oh I feel like a grown up at last!
Oh and the Microwave was a birthday present from my parents!

I Had a Bath for the First Time in Years! 

I now that sounds worse than it is...promise!! The last place had a bath but it was very small and ALWAYS filthy, so showers were the only way to actually get clean!

I Had a Birthday and Finally Finished my 1950s bolero!

 Which was knitted as part of Bea's Vintage Knit Along and I got the chance to wear it with my Audrey Dress for a very yummy birthday meal!

 I Harvested Some Crops! 

A small but mighty allotment bounty, some was eaten straight away, some was pickled, some was frozen, but all of it tasted delicious!

I Bought a Tiny Real Christmas Tree!

The Boyfriend has named her 'Fiona' (Fiona Spruce to be exact!).
She is currently sitting by my front door waiting to be swathed in her festive apparel, of some solar powered lights!

After reading Katrin of Per bar one Penny post on how comfortable she had found her smashing new brogues, I decided I had to get myself a pair, hers were from Deichmann and to my complete surprise, I found they have a UK website! I was even more delighted to bag these little beauties for only £17.99 inc postage! I will certainly testify that they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn!!

So there you have it some of the things that have been keeping me busy. Sadly with moving I have not been able to find time to do my usual Christmas present crafting, which means I have had to buy store bought gifts for everyone this time which I do feel bad about, but there is always next year and hopefully they will be even more special! I'm off now to finish some more low budget Christmas decorating - posts to follow. The tree is up (although it's fallen over 3 times already...argh!) and sparkling I just need to add a bit more festiveness to the rest of the place!

Wendy x

A Little more Chrismas Swapping

So what was in that ever so tantalising parcel then...

Just look at that Beautiful handmade card!!

1. An Embroidered Christmas Apron. 2. A Shabby Chic Handbag. 3. A Bag of Lavender with some gorgeous Lip Balm (smells divine). 4. A Kath Kidiston NoteBook  5. A Piece of Lacey Trim! 6. An Embroidery Kit (with a butterfly!...eek!) 7.  An Embroidered Christmas Table Cloth (see below).

 The Christmas table cloth has found a very fitting home underneath the
tree with Christmas Ted to keep it company!

I love absolutely everything! I let out a serious squeal when I realised I had now my own Christmas pinny, I had toyed with the idea of making one, but with the move, I just didn't have the time to craft. I honestly was like a child in a party dress, I pranced about the house all evening refusing to take it off.

The Gorgeous tablecloth is the perfect fit under my little Christmas tree and it looks just lovely!

I am going to fashion a fabulous 1940s collar out of the lovely lace trim and I can't wait to start on the Embroidery it will look great in my new living room!

Here's what I sent to Shirl...

1. A Deco Style Necklace.  2. The Book 'What Every Woman Should Know: Life Lessons from the 1930's'.  3. Hand crocheted Christmas tree angels.  4. A 10x8 Print of a 30s Train Poster.  5. A Shell Mosaic Picture Frame.  6. Some Shabby Chic Fabric.

I must say I enjoyed an excuse to do a bit of charity shopping and I think I was very lucky with my finds! Such as the book which is packed full of fabulous advice and images from the 30's I highly recommend getting a copy if you can!

When I realised that Shirl lived in Clacton and that she liked the 20s and 30's it gave me the perfect excuse to use my graphic design skills to recreate (ie draw over in illustrator) an old 30s train poster of her hometown.

My mum was kind enough to crochet me up some little angels for the parcel. Seriously I wish I had her skills with a crochet hook, she took no time to make these up and the crocheting is so delicate and tiny that I struggle even to see the hook!

Thank you again, Shirl, for taking the time to make up my fabulous parcel and also a big Thank You to Lakota for setting it all up!! It has been a lovely pre-Christmas treat to have something to open before the big day!

Wendy x

Christmas Swapping!

Eeek!!! How Exciting!!!!

I have just received a fabulous parcel from the lovely Shirl who blogs over at The White House all as part of 'The Festive Charity Swap' which was expertly organised by the remarkable Lakota - if you fancy a bit of inter-blog swapping then keep your eyes on her blog!

Doesn't it look enticing!!

I can't wait to open it, but I am being remarkably controlled and I am going to try and wait until I know that she has got hers (which I just need to pop in the post!) before I open it! Wish me luck with my resolve!! Thanks, Shirl!!!

I hope you all have great weekends! Fingers crossed (for the 3rd time now) we will finally get the internet installed on Saturday so it should be back to blogging normality, shortly! Hurrah!

Wendy x