Here we go.....

This could be interesting, a blog for me, talking to myself, somewhere to store ideas and progress of makes and recipes and plans and thoughts. One day I may even come up with an idea and I could do a tutorial! Previously I have only blogged for work purposes and that takes away the fun and inspiration. I am not a writer, nor dreadfully interesting or talented, just a very ordinary person that likes to make things. I'd love to be arty, be able to draw and design, but mainly I like following patterns and recipes and perhaps adapting things a bit. The internet is such a wonderful resource of inspiring and talented designers.

I am a 46 yo happily married mum of three (K is 22, L 19 and S 16), I used to be a business owner for 8 years (a scrapbooking retail shop and online store  founded when S started school) the recession created a lot of problems but earning nothing and working silly hours is no way to live.  Fortunately I have now sold the business (in 2011) and have the time to create (badly) for myself.  The girls are all older so no worrying about pins lying around, school runs and they can even feed themselves if I "forget" about dinner.  We are lucky to live in a picturesque small town in glorious countryside near Stroud,  Gloucestershire.  There are changes afoot but that's what this blog is about, escaping the changes, and forgetting the tough bits of life.

I have always baked, sewn, knitted and crocheted, my mum, nanna and gran taught me, nothing exceptional just lovely one to one time you remember as a child.  I like to upcycle and try ever so hard to be shabby chic but far more shabby than chic.

I have encouraged my girls to make things too, and cook decent food (cake is decent food!) I love making things for them although sometimes the homespun look is not what they are after.  It's nice that now K has graduated she has started making curtains and furnishings for her first home, and L now has my refurbished sewing machine at uni, and makes presents and cards for friends, as I treated myself to a new one.

The little one, S, was 16 in May, and I made her a very quick quilt from a pattern in Kirstie Allsop's Craft book that L had given me for Christmas.  Mainly IKEA Cath Kidston style Rosali fabric with a shocking pink fleece backing.  The workmanship is atrocious (my old machine was not behaving itself pre service/repair)

So I will be playing catch up with a few makes in the last few months.....so here is the Sweet 16 quilt, yes the daughter in question loves that awful tacky programme on TV...and really doesn't "get" handmade but I think she was pleased I had made her a quilt, secretly.

Apologies if I regularly go off on a tangent, I love travel, food, walking the dog and France in particular. I can go on about what I want as it's my blog!  

Today's "moment" was finding some supermarket points for a supermarket I refuse to use anymore due to their underhand tactics in conning consumers and producers, and trading them in online for a Country Living magazine subscription........ a huge treat, it feels very naughty. Small pleasures and all that!