Lucky and Lovely Views

 Hi guys :)

What a fantastic week! I have been incredibly lucky to have such good friends, my knit and natter group gifted me a knitting machine! It came complete with a wool winder, punch cards (which create pretty patterns) and a pattern book, to use when i eventually figure it out lol!

They also had a spare microwave at the community centre where it is held so they very kindly gave me that too, as ours is broken and we have limited means of cooking as we don't have a big cooker, if you remember they actually gave me a mini cooker within my second week of attending!

 Aren't they a lovely bunch? :) 

I am trying to think of ways to repay their kindness, maybe volunteering a few days a week? 

I spent  very enjoyable afternoon making "Yarn Cakes"

And a very odd looking sock! I must get round to making the other one, but i do hate having to make two of something! But for some reason i ALWAYS want to make socks! 

I just don't like making two!

 Not a great thing when making socks as they do work better in pairs.

Another reason to feel lucky is this little sweetie, he lives down the road from me and always pops  his head over the wall to see if i have any treats for him :)

And the divine view below, which i get to see almost every day :)

The Kindness of Strangers and a Tad-ah moment

Hi guys :) Have you had a good week? Mine's been super busy!!

This is the face of Marie when i'm baking and not paying enough attention to her! ;) Isn't she looking so grown up now?

I've been a busy bee in the kitchen, We have a new shop opened in the village  and they were selling 200g punnets of strawberries for 79p! So, as usual when i get fruit, i made jam!

Look at that lovely rich colour! 

Sure, it only made 1 jar, but that's enough for me and The Bearded Wonder! 

I also canned my very first batch of apple pie filling, doesn't it look nice? 

I made the usual batch of scones...and a big ta dah moment! 

I made bread rolls!!! Ta daaahh!!! Now, everyone who  knows me knows that i have had..um... issues with baking bread, i just couldn't get it right! It either turned out like a brick, went doughy in the middle and black on the outside, or was completely inedible.

So after months of scouring the internet for that elusive easy bread recipe, i found one in an old cookbook at the back of my drawer! 

Ta-dah! Yum! They were super easy and super soft and scrummy! So we scoffed two each with some homemade leek and potato soup and slathered in butter :)

The kindness of strangers. Isn't that a lovely sentence? Well, I got to say it twice this week! 

First, last Sunday i got the most AMAZING gift of a vintage Jones hand-crank sewing machine off freecycle. It came complete with needles,bobbins,feet, original receipts, including one with a King George VI stamp! 

The second was this lovely dining table and chairs, which has taken up residence in my "sewing room" haha, too grand a title for a room with barely anything in it!

 I also found a fun little fabric with sheep on it and made a wee pin cushion 

How has your week been? Have you had any nice surprises?

My First (Kind Of) Embroidery Challenge!And a Lovely Heirloom

Hi guys :) Remember Sunbonnet Sue from yesterday?

Well i've decided to give myself a little challenge and make a months of the year wall hanging featuring Sue in various months and outfits/ poses etc

It's a challenge but not at the same time as i don't have a deadline... does that make sense? lol

I've completed January, Feb and March already and i'm halfway through April. 

Aren't they the cutest? :)

i also thought i'd show you my needle case. I got it off my great nana about 10 years ago before she passed away, and she'd had it for years before me so i'm guessing it is between 50-80 years old, sadly it is pretty thread bare near the top and i don't want it to get worse so i'm going to "retire" it in a safe place, make a new one and name it Esther after her :)

i'm taking part in a Homeacre Blog Hop  with Our Simple Life :)

(I hope i've done it right!)

Sewing Up A Storm

 Hi guys! :) 

What a busy week! I have been sewing up a storm! I am determined to have an almost fully handmade wardrobe, that's what its all been about this week!

I finally added some legs to my mannequin, using a pair of old shorts! Ignore the ugly look of her so far, she isn't finished as i ran out of tape! haha.

 I'm going to make a cover for her eventually too, as soon as i get a decent stretchy fabric

I upcycled an old jumper and turned it into a skirt :)

I took the sleeves and made yet another set of slippers (I'm obsessed)

I made another skirt out of an old sheet (i know, i know, it desperately needs ironed)

And finally, i made myself a pair of pyjama shorts! They are far from perfect, and some of the stitching is terrible, so ignore it, but i love them! I didn't have enough material at first, but i added two lace panels on the sides so they fit comfortably :)

I've been baking a lot this week too, making lots of pies for the freezer and ginger snaps and scones! yum!

Marie doing her best meerkat impression, she has grown so much! We have had her 3 weeks today! Already!

Woohoo! A sunbeam! 

She has finally discovered the outside world, and now happily sits for hours watching the birdies :)

I'm off to make some more ginger snaps as they have mysteriously disappeared ;) 

*Wanders off, whistling innocently*

How To Build A Wardrobe- Undomestic Diva Style (AKA- How To Have A Nervous Breakdown In 3 Easy Steps)

Evening guys :) Today i'm going to show how to build a plastic canvas wardrobe- Undomestic Diva style.

Step 1:

Grab your bag of fudge - This will save your sanity.

Employ hubby/life partner/significant other/cat as moral support. 

(The cat is best as they will not laugh at you when it goes horribly, horribly wrong)

Step 2:  Read (completely useless) instructions, notice that they are written in unintelligible English, proceed to build wardrobe according to the diagram.

Step 3: Realize that neither the diagram nor the written instructions tell you which joints fit to which pole, rely on imagination and (ha!) logic.

 After half an hour of various pole fitting/ swearing/ throwing of things, look at your build so far and realize that you have forgotten to add the little cloth shelves as you fit them.

Finish building your wardrobe and wonder why it looks wonky 

(Take this moment to have a well deserved cup of tea)

It will now dawn on you that nearly half the joints are in the wrong place.

Swear (under your breath so as not to disturb the cat who has taken advantage of your sit down to fall asleep on you)

Spend another 3 hours trying to fit the joints in the right place. 

Swear again as one of the poles falls and clonks you on the head.

Fight with the canvas covering as it tears in 3 places and bursts a zip.

Sit down, admire your beautiful wardrobe and spend another hour putting all of your clothes away to find half of your hangers have gone missing.

Go find a dark corner and sob quietly.

How has your day been?