A Daisy For Daisie

Look what I got in the post;

How beautiful is this velvet and felt daisy brooch?! I absolutely love it and must say a big big thank you to Jackie for her thoughtfulness and kindness. I sent her a coat hanger (yes, a coat hanger) a while ago and she sent me this beauty in return. She also included a wonderful purple flower brooch which I have attached to my new hat but you'll have to wait until the autumn for a picture of that!!

If you fancy some Jackie beauties for yourself go have a lookie look at her etsy shop or her Folksy shop.

Thanks so much Jackie!!

Daisie xxx

Can't Think Of A Good Post Title, Will This Do?

Firstly, ooooh, a mug!!


Secondly, my handmade goodies in the shape of this brooch and felt embellished card;



Have gone off to the lovely Lynsey to join the great cutebale giveaway.

Thirdly, here is the brooch I have been knitting on and off today inbetween taking Nathaniel's poo sample to the doctors and cleaning up sick. I so wanted to shout "It's not mine!!" when I walked in and everyone looked at me in the waiting room! Francesca has been very sick today as well, she has lay on the sofa most of the day, thumb in, eyes shut. It has been a long day and I hope that they both sleep well tonight and awake in the morning fully recovered but somehow don't think I'm that lucky!!

And lastly, and possibly most excitingly (is that even a real word?) here is a box of Daisie Davies goodies;

Packed and ready (well, when I have done some more felt cards and bracelets) to go to a real life shop!!!!! Nearly wet myself and kissed the lady yesterday! She wanted my cards and brooches and possibly knitted bead bracelets for her new crafty shop! I am going to see her next week to discuss terms and payment and stuff and I don't want to jinx it so will say no more just yet.

But my cheeks hurt from smiling!!

Don't forget to leave a comment for the giveaway!

Daisie xxx

All Packed Up

Well, with my design skills (don't laugh) and Simon's technological skills (no, really, don't laugh) we tweaked the brooch card design and printed lots off. After a while with the guillotine and some sticky stuff my brooches looked like this;




Impressive or what?! Sadly though I hadn't yet read the comment that Ruth left on my last post so the pic is a little hazy. But after reading her comment and packing my little bottles of Christmas Cheer and some little bottles of Love and wiping my lens I took a much clearer picture;



A big thanks to Simon for being patient with me and a big thank you to Ruth for her photographic expertise (again, don't laugh!).

Today I am off out with my friend Gil and am leaving all the children with their Daddy! I am so excited, can't wait! And I have had a long time to wait as the clocks went back yesterday (bloody daylight savings, what a nightmare) and although it seemed like half past seven to three small body clocks it was only in fact half past six! Argh! But it gives me lots of time to get ready.....

Daisie xxx

Bargains And Brooches

Hello, blimey, what a lovely day we had yesterday. The children and I got up early, leaving Simon in bed (See what a good wife I am?) and made breakfast. For some reason we didn't hear the post man when he knocked to deliver these rather marvelous Jeremy Strong books that I won on eBay for Elizabeth. With a bit of luck they may last her until the end of the week, I have never known such a veracious reader at only seven years old!



So because we missed the postman and I am going out on Monday (with no children, woo-hoo) we decided to leave Simon in bed and venture into town and then along to the sorting office.

I have been on a hunt for black leggings all week to wear with my knitted boots and big jumper. So we went into all the cheapie clothes shops and at first I could find no leggings but I did find this beautiful skirt;



For only a single pound, how good is that?!

Really rather summery but I may wear it over my leggings and boots with a big black jumper? I did manage, eventually, to find some leggings, they are few and far between. They were everywhere last year, look at me being a fashion follower, ha ha!

After lunch Lynsey came to call to give us one of her beautiful invitations and also to give me some of her amazing 'freecycle' envelope stash! What a great pal!

Then Simon's Mum came and joined us for a cup of coffee and a catch up.

I spent the rest of the afternoon knitting a lacy scarf for me (yes, for me!) with some brownie- purple yarn that I picked up last year with the intention of knitting something for me. The time has arrived. I am making nothing more for the fair until it is finished!

While I knitted Simon made the card backs for my brooches;

I used a free printable backing paper pattern I got from my Artymiss subscription but printed it out at A4 and then printed the text over the top. Because I did it like this and not smaller blocks of the same patter it means that every one is slightly different depending where it was on the sheet and where I cut it.

I think they look really good;

The photos are a bit bad as the flash is now insisting on going off for all photos as we enter the dreaded British Summertime!

Daisie xxx

Hurrah!!!!!

It's Friday, it's after 4pm and all my children are here with me. We have all hugged together and jumped up and down and squealed because it's the holidays!!!!!!! They are delighted because we have so many lovely adventures planned for the coming week and I am pleased to not have to pack lunches! The cries of "I said get your knickers on!" and "Where did you put it?!" (when asked where kit bag/reading book/lunch box/spelling book is) and "We are going to be late for school!" will not be heard in this house until 8am on Tuesday November 4th! Woo-hooooooo!!!!!!!!


And due to my busy-ness yesterday morning (before going for a lovely play at school with Francesca, we had a great time, she introduced me to all her friends, showed me all her books, around her classroom etc. Nathaniel had fun too, his favourite was definately climbing in the yard on the climbing frame and going down the slide!) of chickens and stuff I managed to sit down last night and knit these lovely rosettes;



The beads and sequins are ready to go on them tonight!


And here are my babies post celebration squeeze;

Daisie xxx

Fluff and Tag

Well, I managed to sew on the red beads to the silver fluffy flower/rosette type knitted thingie.

Then today, after a disappointing trip out for some leggings (to wear with my knitted boots and big jumper) and accidentally buying two new outfits and a stripy sweat top for Nathaniel (only came to £6.50, I love sales) I have knitted some more. I am really loving these, they are dead easy and look really professional (always good).

Here are today's creations;



Cream eye lash yarn with a huge (bigger than a £2 coin) antique mother-of-pearl button centre;

Silver fluffy yarn with red glass beads;

Chunky multi coloured autumn type colours with poundland (yes, poundland) wooden beads in orange and pink, a perfect match;

This is Nathaniel's fave (not because it's pink, although that does help), made with fluffy pink yarn and little silver bells that really jingle (you can just see then nestled in the centre);

And I have been tagged by the lovely Pixiedust over at Faerie Nuff.


1.Link to the person who tagged you.
2.Post the rules on your blog.
3.Write six random things about yourself.
4.Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5.Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6.Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

I did one of these not so long ago but not wanting to be a party pooper, I'll see if I can find six more things.......

1. I like to read in the bath, it is probably my favourite thing to do (especially when I am cold/tired/poorly/menstrual) but sadly only happens a half dozen times a year and then usually someone has to come in and poo!

2. I leave little notes for my family reminding them of my love in their pockets and lunch boxes. Simon is already truly embarrassed by it and it won't be long before the girls find it a bit naff too. I have already had the conversation with Elizabeth that "Soon I will be too big to kiss you at school, Mum" bu was reassured that she would kiss me everyday at home before we left!

3. The first present Simon bought for me was a pair of bottle green Doc Martens, they were (and still are) the only pair I ever had that was new and complete. I had had several pairs of pre-owned or seconds due to lack of monies. I loved them and they are still in a box on top of my wardrobe with holes in the soles where I wore them to death!

4.I like the smell of laundry!

5. I didn't go to primary school. Well, I did, for a term but became so ill and withdrawn that my parents removed me. My brother and I were home educated until 11 when we decided that we should go to school and make some friends (we relocated from Essex to Lancashire some years before). I still hated school and it still made me ill but I got out the other end in one piece and am here to tell the tale so it's ok really. Fortunately my children love school. They hate being parted from me for long parts of the day but they love learning and have friends and it makes me really happy for them. I often wonder if I missed something.

6. I made a very large toasted cheese and tomato sandwich that Nathaniel and I shared at lunchtime. It was very good as we were feeling cold but I now feel greasy and slightly sick!

And I would hereby like to tag Julie, Juicyfig as she has been very quiet of late, Hannah as she is a newbie and we really should know more about her, Lynn as her daughter tidies in much the same fashion as I do, Ethel so she can give us six random facts about being poorly and finally Tales From The Crib as the blog name makes me laugh out loud and the photos are brill!!

Phew!!

Daisie xxx

Fluff

Nataniel much brighter today and has had a good time at playgroup. While he was off playing I chatted and made a tree dangle and a heart brooch (that is in need of further embellishment).

After lunch while he slept I did a little washing; my never ending laundry, woe-woe, woe-woe, woe-woe (which must be sung to this tune with a mournful expression)! When he woke he was cheerful but snugly so we sat on the sofa together. He hugged my leg and I knitted. Lots and lots of little beads and a huge big fluffy thing!



The yellow beads are to be made up into jewelry for my sister's up and coming 18th (oh my god, I am now so old) birthday! When Simon and I were first together we used to collect her from nursery school and take her out for a 'treat'. People always assumed she was our child! Blimey (that word again!). The light blue beads are also to be turned into a jewelry set for the fair and there are lost of extra beads. When I make a set I knit one extra bead, the plan being that I will string them all together and wear them to the fair. An eclectic mix of colours, textures and sizes. The big silver sparkle is on it's way to becoming a very beautiful brooch, I will be adding some red beads when the children are all in bed.

I will not be long behind them, I have pulled a muscle in my right shoulder and the pain has got worse and worse all day. Knitting is hard so I won't do much more. Maybe I'll watch 'enders with a hottie!

Daisie xxx

Sleepover

My baby Francesca stayed away from home for the very first time last night. The girls were parted from me while Nathaniel was in hospital during July but other than that we have not been apart. I have missed her so much. She has just phoned to say that she doesn't want to come home but wants to stay and have her lunch with Granny :-( I would have gone and got her at 7am when I woke, so would Simon if truth be known.

Elizabeth didn't want to go and stay so we let her stay up late and watch 'Enchanted' and eat pringles! Really good fun! When she went to bed Simon and I watched 'King Kong', this link is not the one we watched but I thought it rather funny and surely everyone knows what King Kong is?! For no other reason than it was on when we turned the DVD off, it's so sad, I cried!

I made some more brooches yesterday;


Elizabeth is at a party today so I made this card;

And then added the flower brooch;

This last pic looks better than the others, I think it had just got darker so the flash went off! Will be making more of these!

Off to take Elizabeth to the party and then off to collect Francesca and be careful not to squeeze her so hard that she stops breathing!!

Daisie xxx

Ever Had One Of Those Days...?

Ever had one of those days where you seem to be breaking your back doing stuff and nothing goes right? Today has been one of those, it I was that way inclined it would drive me to drink!!

It started very early with a terrible smell, one of our cats, Hercule, has had a bit of an upset tummy, he is a very old man so we will forgive him but I was not impressed to venture downstairs and find very smelly, very runny cat poo all over my house! Argh! Thankful, yet again, that we don't have fitted carpets :-) Went flying round with the kitchen roll, a box of anti-bac wipes and a carrier bag before the girls came down and started to complain. OK, got it all, I think? Took everyone to school. Went to get some veggies and some sewing machine needles. Came home, opened the door and.....SMELL! No cats in, I booted them all out after their breakfast. Where was it coming from? Found a bit of a stain on the throw on the sofa so put that in the wash, febreezed the sofa and mopped the floors. Washed dishes (still there from breakfast, bad house wife!!) and set off to nursery to collect Francesca.

Came home, boiled an egg for Francesca, warmed pasta stuff from the other night for Nathaniel, had a quick sandwich. Checked email and had a look at my etsy shop; 21 people heart me :-)

Got sewing machine out to complete Heather's birthday handbag (nearly completed last night until mishap, that's why I had to go get needles). Not entirely happy with it;




but don't have any more of this fabric to try again, she'll love it anyway but I felt it wasn't up to my usual standard. To ease my conscience I made this little kilt pin brooch to go on it;




It has a small string of 'pearls', a string of red coloured wooden beads, a large wooden bead on an organza ribbon and a fabby mother of pearl antique button. Quite pleased with it, may try some more when I have time...

Then, after feeding Nathaniel, answering some questions from a very nice lady who came round to discuss post office closures in our area, long story, I turned this.....



into this.....

Then tried to make a dress for a little girl out of this fabby Laura Ashley fabric (I love it, I may turn some of it into a skirt for me) but it just didn't work. I reached the point when you start to think; 'who am I trying to kid, I can't do this?!'

Then it was time to go and collect Elizabeth from school, Nathaniel fell asleep in the pram, Francesca and I had a very strange conversation about electricity pylons (don't ask) and the sun was shining. Elizabeth was cheerful and lovely company when she came out into the playground, which is not always a given. We went to the park and had a swing and a slide, we saw some friends from playgroup who had come out for a walk in the sun. We strolled home picking daisies and dandelions from the grass and put them in our hair (no dog wee comments please!). Did spellings, I heard Elizabeth read while Francesca wore my one and only pair of heels. The children had tea and on the way up the stairs Elizabeth spotted the dress that went horribly wrong and asked if there was any of that fabric left as she really liked it, I said I'd see what I could do and then she said she'd have that dress "'cos it's just lovely, Mum". Made everything alright again, thanks darling!!!

Daisie xxx