Hello lovely people :0)

How are you this sunny Sunday afternoon? (this should read Monday now lol)

I hope you're all fine and dandy :0)

I seem to be going longer and longer between blog posts lately.....

But I'm here now, and I've brought you all the details of my Paying-it-Forward bloggy business..

I actually managed to pick a few sprigs of flowers from the garden the other day..

I picked some forsythia and the only three daffodils....

I've also been busy crocheting...
From these fabric strips (kindly cut by hubby :0) )

I made a new rag crochet bag...

I'm sorry, but blogger won't let me load any more photos (it's taken me two days to get these ones on!!)

Is anyone else having trouble with blogger at the moment, or is it just me?

 I also crocheted a 'fancy' scarf for one of my daughters teaching assistants -this teaching assistant is amazing, and we so appreciate all she does for our daughter- it's her birthday and 

she always wears greens and rose colours, so I had this gorgeous 80%wool yarn that is so cosy, and I thought she'd like it.
(no photo...naughty blogger)

I'm a lot poorer (£ wise) this month as it's my youngest daughters birthday on Thursday, (12 years...how did she get to that without me noticing? lol) and my poor old car needed £400. worth of work to get him through his MOT. 

Now, my Pay-it-Forward...

To enter (OOoooo, I hope some of you lovely bloggers do enter !) all you have to do is leave a comment on this post asking to be entered. If you don't ask, I won't enter you, so don't worry if you're just leaving a comment, you won't get roped into anything by mistake :0)

It's a pif for THREE people, so I will then choose three of you from my furry hat, and send you the lovely little gifts :0)

Now, I'm doing this pif a bit different from others I've seen, in the fact that I'm sending out surprise gifts.

You will get a sewn gift, a crochet gift and a mystery gift :0)

They're just little ones, but you will get lovely little surprises through your door to open. And then you can pass on the bloggy goodness..right?  :0)
This pif is open to the world :0)

Now I've finally managed to load some photos (one day after I started this post!!) I've got to head off to Karate (not me the children lol) .

I was making bunting today for my daughter too, but I'll have to try and load some pictures in the week before I do my writing !

So that's it for today folks, short and sweet. (well, short for me :0))

I'll be ending the pif entries next Monday evening, so you've all got plenty of time to enter :0)

Take care lovely people,
Speak soon,
Love Donna xxxxxx

Ps. I think I'm addicted to making those little dotty, o, bracket smiley faces...sorry lol but at least you all know I'm sending you smiles :0)  -or frowns lol xxxxx

Guess what?....

Evening lovely bloggy friends :0)

Firstly (goodness, that's starting to sound like an acceptance speech, and I only wrote one word lol)

I'll start again :0)

Thankyou all so much, everyone one of you, for leaving such lovely supportive comments on my last post. They really do mean a lot to me and boosted my morale tremendously :0)

Well I know you all want to know how it went yesterday, so I won't keep you waiting  any longer...

I sold...

not a sausage.... :(

BUT,  I won't take it personally, 'cos ....

only 26 people came through the doors,  (yes, 26!!)

It was Sunday...

I was most definately not the only one who didn't sell a sausage (even though i wasn't selling sausages, and may have sold 26 if I had done! lol) )

and...., I had a day out which I spent mostly crocheting :0) and I don't often get to do that lol

and...., I can now fill up my etsy shop with all my goodies, and look about for the next crafty event where I can go :0)

See, so it wasn't all bad news.

here's the piccys....

My table was at the back beneath the stage, so I was able to pop Susan on there so I had someone to chat to if I wanted lol  ( I took her along just in case :0)

Here's two more tables that were there...

This was a childrens parties one..

and this was a bit n bobs one...

and bloggers not playing any more, which is probably a good thing as it's quarter past ten, and I should be in bed.

I'll be bakc in the week with the other stall holders pictures, and my PIF. :0)

You all take it easy, and have a good week.

Speak soon,

Love Donna xx

It's show time :0)

Afternoon lovely people :0)

Just a quick post (not a lot I do is done quickly, so bear with me on this lol) to show you my 'mock up' table for tomorrow as promised.

Now, i'll post after the fair on Monday with piccy's of it all (as long as I remember my camera).

And next week I'll also be doing my PIF that I'm continuing from lovely Clara

Remember?  I showed you a couple of weeks ago.

So, here's my table with it's goodies on for tomorrow....you have to use your imagination abit, 'cos I had to mock it up on the floor as the table at the fair is 6x3ft (well they used to be when I used to do 'em) and i don't have a table that big...

Left side......

Right side.....

This is my lovely charity shopped (95p) jug with my button birdy tree in it which is sitting up on the box on the right..you can just make out a pink birdy dangling from the tree in the picture above...

D'you like the button birdies? I got the idea from this lovely lady who blogged about them the other week...I just kinda flew (sorry lol) with the idea, and have more ideas to do with these whizzing around in my little ole' brain :0)

But, I've kinda run out of time on the making front now. I have hubby sitting in the lounge cutting crochet strips for me at the moment, so that I can whip up some larger rag crochet bowls this evening, once I've finished all the pricing and packing.

As probably is coming across, I'm a tad nervous about this fair. It's been a while since I was out there in the big, wide crafting world selling my wares! It took all my courage to open my Etsy shop and start blogging! lol but, i'm getting there ;0)

Now, please will you be kind enough to leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my table, cos' I'd really appreciate any advice/views on the matter -good or bad, but if they're bad, tell me gently :0)

I'll make sure I come on here tonight to take all your advice in hand!

Wish me luck, and you all have a lovely weekend :0)

Speak to you Monday.

Love Donna xxxx

PS... Bloggers just decided to play again so here's some more photos. :0)

Button birdy..

Drawstring crochet pouch, coasters, bowls, vintage egg cup pin cushion..

 Upcycled tags, crochet picture frames, crochet vintage style coasters (remember my 'doilies' flower motifs?) hats, more bowls, brooches..

 Pot holders, needlecases,

 Wicker rings, crochet tags, photo keyrings, vintage bits n bobs..

That's all folks!  :0)  xxxxxxxxxxxx

Well hello :0)

Honestly, I didn't think I was going to get here this week :0)

As it is, I'm writing this at 6 in the morning....I know 6!  I've been totally up since 4 though... not been a good night with daughter #1 unfortuantely bless her.

Everytime I go back to sleep after a seizure, she has another one, so in the end your body kinda says 'ENOUGH! I'm not going back to sleep, just get up, and get some chores done' (well mine doesn't actually say that, but i know I should be doing that instead of posting here and looking at all the lovely blogs in blogosphere :0)

Anyway, as I was saying, I didn't think I would get here this week, as I have sssoooo much to do!

I've now paid for my table at the Craft Fair next Sunday, so that's a definate.

I've been busy making all the bits and bobs. I found quite a bit of stashed mades and half mades (!) in my crafty place. So that all adds to the table :0)

I've been making my rag crochet bowls and trivets. I've got my bags and hats to take. I've been busy beavering on my glass jars....

Below are some that have been cozied up -remember I got them a few weeks ago? (well, you probably don't remember, but I did :0)

They look cute with a little cozy on don't they?

And below is one of my little pin cushions...

Next is a really dodgy picture of the lovely cozy cushion covers I have been making

I tried to get a picture of a close up to show how thick and cozy it is, but with it being so dark under our lounge lights (it's still dark outside at the moment, so no natural light then :) i blurred it, and all the others have come out orangey!

So.  I'm getting there. Very nervous, but persevering :)

***

Now do you remember a while back I started a ripple blanket for my youngest daughter?

Well here it is in her favourite candy stripes..

I hope she likes it. It's just a small one to wrap her duck and other toys up in.

She's at a funny stage at the moment, you know the sort of in between being a little girl still, but also wanting to be a big girl.

She wants to love and cuddle all her soft toys and that, but then in the next moment she wants to put some make up on and be all grown up.

I didn't have this with my eldest daughter 'cos her epilepsy started when she was nine, and it just totally changed all our lives. It was almost like having a totally different child overnight. You know like someone had come in and swapped her. She was that different... Bless her.

Goodness, i just read back what I wrote and it sounds a bit dramatic, but it's true. It just hit us out the blue this epilepsy lark.

Anyway, I must be tired to be rabbiting on so much (oh no, I usually do that don't I ? LOL)

So before I make you all yawn, I just wanted to tell you that the lovely Miss Bunny is having a Birthday giveaway, and it's super duper!  I love the butterfly, it's so pretty, and the little chalk.....well, I won't tell you all about it, you just pop over there and see. It's open to everyone in the world :0)

So lovely people, I'm off to get a nice hot drink,  settle down to some crochet, and maybe watch a film before everyone gets up...I so rarely watch telly, and the other day I realised I don't often goin my lounge to sit either...but that's another story ;0)

I'll try and blog before the Fair so you can see my mock table, but if not, speak to you after with some pic's.

Have a good week, and take care lovely people.

Love Donna

These are for you..... :0)

Hello lovely bloggers :0)

These lovely flowers are just for YOU !  :0)

I bought the daffs at Sainsburys for 99p the other day, and I just KNEW I had to photograph them especially for you lovely lot :0)

These are my hubbys'  crocus's popping through at last. I always buy him crocus bulbs for his birthday in late summer, as they're his favourite spring flower. It makes us feel all 'springy' when we see those little purple and yellow flowers coming through :0)

And this gorgeous flower is one of the only flowers to be coming through in this new garden of ours. Since we've only been here since july, we don't yet know what bulbs/flowers were already here. Unfortunately the answer is plainly not many!

We have five little purple crocus, 6 daffoldils and these Christmas roses (hellebores).  I picked a few to pretty up the dining room table as you couldn't see them from any windows.

****

Look at this parcel....

See it?  LOL

It's my first ever sale on Etsy!!  Yes I know amazing eh?  ;0)

Honestly, you should have seen me in the week when I finally realised where my item had gone that I put in my shop just the day before!  I thought I'd put it in the wrong shop somehow  (doh..) But when I realised it had sold (by Etsy stating plainly '1 sold' lol)  You would have though I'd won the lottery I can tell ya!

I was sooooo excited!

So off to the post office I trotted (well drove actually).

Obviously I sent it in one of those post officy baggy things, but do you think they'll like it when they get it out of there?

I made the art tag just for them....:0)

****

I've had quite a bit of therapy this week...

Thrifty therapy that is ;0)

One of my local Charity Shops (CS) was having a book sale- buy 1 get 1, so I stocked up on crafty books for ideas and inspiration.  I mean you can't go wrong with two books for £1.25 can you?

And some of them are fab...u...lous...

The crafting  with lace one below has not only got the most gorgeous makes in it, but the pictures are soooo scrummy!

It also has very detailed images of lace dating back to the 15th century and explaining how to tell the different types....It's gonna take longer to read than I first thought ;)

The crochet techniques one is a vintage basics. It's got some really nice stitches in there too that I haven't even seen before.

And the Gifts from home has got the most fabulous fudge recipe in MMmmmm...

When we make it I'll let you have the recipe 'cos it looks like a corker !

This goldwork book is facinating. The embroidery is absolutely exquisite...

And this one is so retro it's absolutely fabulous. I'll have to photograph the crocheted wedding dress in it to show you. It's truly a work of art :0)

I did have other photos for you of my makes this week, but thats all bloggers gonna let me put on this evening I'm afraid :(

OOOooo...guess what I might be doing?  There's going to ba a Craft Fair near me in early march, and I haven't done one of these for Yeeeeaaarrrrsssss.......

So after a conflab with the family (it's on one of our family days -Sunday)

I'm doing it!

I'm not sure whether to be excited or petrified, as it's so long since I've done one -about 4 years I think - (my eldest daughter wasn't so poorly then )

But I'm going to work my little old socks off and get making...

I've also got the PIF coming up, and I'm trying to get my little Etsy shop stocked too...

I'd better get going then eh?

Hopefully I'll be back on Monday with my makes to show you, and you can all be the judges :0)

You all take it easy you hear?

Speak to you soon,

take care,

Love Donna xxxxxxxxx



Phew...! Home at last..:0)

Well, hello lovely bloggers :0)

I hope you've all had a splendiferous, happy week :0)

The hospital stay is all over now. I can't say and done with, cos' we still have to moniter the medication, but at least her body didn't react to the new medication in a bad way (yet! ) I know, I know. I should be more positive, and I was quite positive 'till one consultant said to me " Well, you know how it is, we can't expect miracles!"

This is my daughters 14th anti-epileptic drug in nearly 6 years, and quite honestly with the side effects this drug carries, I don't think we would have tried it if the hospital hadn't been so confident it would help. So to hear him then say that, was a bit deflating to say the least :(

Still, we can only try  :0)

I managed to get quite a lot of crafting done during my stay which was the one bonus of being in hospital:0)

The downside was I put on one and a half pound during my few days which I'm a bit gutted about, as I've lost almost a stone since 3rd January, so I must work harder to make up for it!

This is what our room (well my side of the room!) looked like most of the time while we were there..

As well as this crafty stuff, I had several bags in the boot of the car! Unfortunately I know what hospitals are like, and I didn't want us to run out of things to do!

See my new wavy stripe crochet blanket in my basket? I bought the pattern from Lucy who has the most colourful blog you can imagine!

I'm making it candy colours as it's for my youngest daughter :0)

Now, see the 'check' blue and red thing in the lower middle of the picture? That's a new design I'm working on for my Etsy shop which I'll show you next week (I forgot to photograph it this morning!)

And what the blue/red thing is laying on is one of my new Needle cases that I have been beavering away on!

 (I think that a certain Rosey person may like those! -'cept I know she doesn't sew! :0)

They will start going in my Etsy shop next week too, so I will show you the photo's when I've set them up!

(But if you look at the first photo of Souffle down below, you can see the top of my first needlecase -which is mine) 

***

The photo below is of  'Souffle' the duck from the Popcorn range. D'you know him? 

When I tell you the story of this duck, please don't leave me comments telling me what a mean Mother I am! I do feel really guilty if that helps!

This duck came in a kit that I bought from the home shopping channel QVC 5years ago. (almost exactly!) we got it to give to my youngest daughter on her 7th birthday in the middle of march 2006. 

So, we gave her the kit, and I duly knitted the pieces of the duck. ( by duly, I mean it took me two years to finish knitting the bits)

Then, it has taken me a further THREE YEARS to make the feet, beak and little tag, stuff it, and sew it up!

I presented it to her at dinner last night!

She said 'At last!'

I know, that's really mean, especially as I spend most my evenings and nights crafting!

He was worth waiting for though yes?  LOL

Have any of you ever taken a long time to finish a crafty project?

Below is a picture of one of my daughters dinners that she had in hospital..

Just had to show you the food at Poole Hospital, as my daughter really likes it! We had a choice of two hospitals, and she chose that one to go into as she likes the food!

This meal was vegetable chow-mein, salad, orange juice, stewed apple and ice-cream!

****

A little while ago, I entered a pif with Clara.

Last week, i was lucky enough to recieve my gift of a beautiful sky blue crocheted scarf.

But not only did I receive my scarf, but she also sent me lots of extra little gifts which were so gorgeous!

I received fabrics, crochet patterns, lace, a beautiful chrysanth card.

And the most gorgeous scrummy buttons!

OOOooo look at that crochet goodness.....

Thankyou so much Clara for my beautiful goodies!
I so appreciate them, and they couldn't have arrived at a more timely moment to give me a lift :0)
I shall be forwarding the Pay-It-Forward goodness at the end of this month when I've decided exactly what to pay forward.
I have to pick three pif people, so when it comes up, don't forget to enter!

Well, that's it for now folks. I'll try and post more often so that my posts are shorter lol.
Thankyou all for reading to the end of this ramble.
And a big thankyou to all of you who've left your lovely supportive comments for me :0)
They do help tremendously you know.  Thankyou. :0)

Have a great weekend everyone.
Take care,
Love Donna xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ta-daah's and a bit of thrifty cooking...

Well, Good Afternoon lovely people :0)

How are you this windy, grey Friday?

I thought I would try and fit in a quick blog post before the rush of the school run..

This is just a few Ta-Daah moments that I keep forgetting to pop on here.

I am taking part in the monthly make with Annie the Felt Fairy , but I so

keep on forgetting to post my makes. Do you get like that?

I kinda get in this making mode, and make, n make, n make, then forget to pop them on here, or even in my shop!

i just have 'em all stacked up until one of my clan say "Mum/wife (;0)) are you actually going to DO anything with these? " LOL

Well, here they are (as long as bloggers playing )

This is a lovely mixed mohair crocheted brooch, with a little vintage 'clear with gold dots on' button in the middle. The back was felted and had a brooch pin sewed on.

Next up...

remember my bunting that was blocking on my ironing board in my last post?

Well, 

Taa..Daaaah.....

I finally managed to make a chain and put it up.

Took me ages to get this photo, as I had to get it at an angle where you couldn't see how badly my windows need washing... LOL  :0)

And for once, the sun was shining...

**

Next is my Rag crocheted bag that I made in early January.

I've been using it a month, and it just gets better, and more cosy :0)

Not sure that the colours look very pretty in these photos, so you'll have to take my word that they go in the 'real world! LOL

And below is a picture of the button closure..

I made this button from some embroidery off of one of my girls 'toddler' dresses!

They used to sometimes have matching dresses when they were very young, and being the hoarder that I am, I've kept it all and I get all the 'good usable bits' off of them all for my crafting..

I'm pleased I don't know exactly who's dress it came from, so it reminds me of both :0)

Below is a picture of my latest thrifty book find.

OOOoooo...., this book is scrummy!

It's got all the recipes in from all the books that you used to read as a child..

You know, all the delicious foods that used to be in them, the picnic food, the midnight feasts, all that type of thing..

Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl...

It's even got recipes from my favourite books..The Little House on the Prairie series..

MMMmmmm...I've got to try 'em :0)

Well, that's all the photos that I could get on here today.
It's not actually this afternoon before the school run anymore, it's early evening!

So have a lovely weekend everyone.
Don't forget I won't be around next week, (hospital)  but hopefully I'll speak to  you all next weekend.
Send hopeful wishes our way on Tuesday!

Take care and wrap up warm,

Love Donna xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx