A new hobby...and I didn't even realise!

Last night Miss World asked me if I check on her, and her brother, after they have fallen asleep.  "Of course I do" I replied.  Now I could tell from her expression that she was eagerly awaiting a fuller explanation, so naturally I endulged her. 

Well Honey Bunny, I go over to your bed.... I showed her how I tuck her in, how I gently move her hair off her face, plant a kiss on her and give her back a wee rub.  With a beaming smile across her face, hanging on to my every word, she was still eagerly looking at me for further explanation...silly me had not completed my routine! I had not shown what I do with her brother....and so I acted out the rest...

"Mummy, what will happen if you forget to check on us at night?  "Oh but I never forget" I tell her...the conversation went on as she was determined to get a reply to what would happen should I ever forget.  Again I said I never forget, and that I couldn't possibly go to sleep knowing that I hadn't checked on them.  "So Mummy, if you never forget, is it like a hobby to you?"...trying hard not to laugh, I simply replied "Yes, I suppose it is Honey Bunny, a hobby is doing something you enjoy doing because you love it, and I enjoy checking on you and your brother because I love you".

So there you have it, I have another hobby and didn't even realise.

Photos were taken by the little worlds...of their new easter additions to the family x

Folksy Friday

After another successful folksy friday last week, where my picks actually generated sales...hip hip hooray - you're a generous bunch x...I thought I'd continue with last weeks theme of £5 and under...

Adorable little bunny from Gingy Snaps Felt Creations

Sharon will make it into a hairclasp, brooch or magnet for you £1.95

Funky pink and blue button ring from Birgitta Designs

..and it's adjustable £2.99

Bubblegum Soap Bar from Lilywhites-handmade

Gorgeous GLITTERY bar £2.00

Lavender Honey Brooch from Lynwoodcrafts

Beautiful detail in this summery brooch £5.00

Ditsy Glass Flower Earrings from Eclectic Creations

Sweet pink flowers and gift wrapped £2.99

8 qty At The Beach Greetings Cards from At The Beech Collection

Paintings from Maria's Great Grandfather, Joseph Fletcher R.B.A, £4.00

Pouring Bowl from Julia Smith

Fantastic sale price, down to just £5.00

Pretty Lavender Keyrings from DinkyDaisy

Give them a squeeze to release the aroma £5.00

You guys have a lovely weekend...it's the school holidays up here in Inverness

I'm looking forward to two weeks of mayhem

More of today's Folksy Fridays here, Marice x

Challenging myself...

I love to make things...as I'm sure most of you lovely readers do to, and I'm very good at slipping into the same old 'comfy' makes, the ones where I know what the outcome will be, but with a slight twist.

I've been challenged to make a new style bag, for a lovely lady, who has predetermined idea of what she would like...if only I could jump inside her head for a moment - just to catch a fleeting glimpse...that would be fab, make my task ahead easier.

Will I manage to interpret her ideas?  I'm only used to my own pictures flashing round my head, but worse than that...she wants a...a...a ZIP! Now this scares me.  I have sewn zips in before but the margin for error when I do them is HUGE.  So it's fingers, legs and toes crossed for me x

These are my work in progress photos (the first is a matching purse) and if I have them up for all to see, then I know I have to get it finished, helps me keep focused on the task ahead.  What helps you keep focused?  Or are you blessed with boundless energy and motivation? ....Marice x

Buttons, pretty polka buttons...

Thought I'd show you some fab new buttons I received this week, 70 polka dot buttons of 14 different colours...

They look SO pretty that I couldn't NOT buy them...that naughty pussygalore featured them on her blog and I was HULKED , turning totally green with envy ...I just couldn't help myself...my fingers began to push all kinds of buttons on my computer until they were finally mine!

If you now find yourself uncontrollable...and pushing lots of buttons to find these pretties...I'll help you...here they are at Chain of Button Daisies Shop.

They are going to make a lovely addition to some of my cards...ooo I can't wait to begin.

Folksy Friday

Pay day for a lot of people is at the end of the month and probably seems a long way off...and for those of you who aren't working at the moment pay day is even further away...so I thought this week I'd show you some super bargains of pretty things for £5 and under...go on treat yourself with this weeks folksy friday bargains

6 Personalised Wine Glass Charms from Firwel Crafts

impress your guests...£4.99

Stunning Thrifted Butterfly Notecard from Wrapped up with String

It's so pretty I think I'd frame it...£3.50

Toffee HooterNinnies  from Oddsox

He only eats herbs & chillies, dried or fresh, so easy to look after...£5.00

Lovely Pear Felt Brooch by Dizzy Izzy

Be different and unique...£5.00

Cute Little Crochet Trinket Box from Cherrytree

Lovely addition to any dresser, or workstation, and it's lined...£3.50

8 Lemon Zest Tangy Stars Bath Bombs by Soak Sensations

Perfect for a little ME time, YES there is 8!!...£2.25

Small Purse in Japanese Owls from Haptree

Perfectly cute for looking after your pennies...£4.50

Cat Lover Sticky Notes by Keep It In a Frame

Tina also stocks one for dog lovers...£2.50

Glod Brocade Gift Bags by Averilpam

 and finally a luxurious gift bag to put your purchase in...£2.50

So go on spend a little and live a lot!

...more folksy fridays here...

x marice x

Oh what a beautiful morning....

YIPEE!!!... blue skies are here, the temperature is rising...it can only mean one thing - no, no, not topless gardeners like in desperate housewives - seriously ladies thats wishfull thinking and I'm a respectable girl!!  It's time to pull the plug on the electricity guzzleing tumble dryers and get the washing out on the line...

If you saw my teasing sneak preview earier this week...did you guess what i was making?  Pat on the back and a HUGE swig of wine if you did,  oh maybe you're psychic? (any chance of the lotto numbers? I promise to do good with it - honest) ...anyway back to my shamless plug...introducing my new peg bag, if you fancy it, you can get your hands on it with just a click of the button, hmm okay 2 clicks, cause you'd have to 'add' it to your cart :0)  

And so to Mother's Day...I made my Mum a card ages ago but she saw it, so i pretended it was for my Folksy Shop, bit of surprise laugh tomorrow then when she opens it.  I've also made her a bag, Mum picked the material, so i know she'll like it.

I used a different part of the pattern for the reverse side, kind of jealous now - with all the nautical fashions available, navy and white are going to be a big part of the summer trend...maybe Mum won't notice if I just give her the other items I bought to put inside...LOL.

So to all you Mummies have a fab day and to all you daughters / sons, treat your Mum like a princess for the day....go on, it's only happens once every 365 days.....xxx

folksy friday

Today is JOHNNY APPLESEED DAY..., born John Chapman, he was an American pioneer, missionary and gardener who introduces apple trees to large parts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois...an American legend while still alive, largely because of his kind and generous ways, and his great leadership in conservation.  Apologies if you think you've just tuned into the history channel but I found it was rather interesting =D

So todays folksy friday is all about APPLES....

How cool is this! very life-like wet-felted apple

from woolly duck

Delicious hand cut apple stickers

from Little Bird Too

Illustration of an apple divination spell

from Old Wives Tale

An apple a day brooch

from Kitty Eden

An antique brass Apple locket

from Jewellery by Bina

Traditional cold process, luxurious,creamy and emolient handmade apple soap

from Stevee Cheese

Apple coin purse

from Bluebell and Rosie

Looking forward to seeing all your folksy fridays too

enjoy your weekend, Marice xx

Every cloud has a silver lining...

Every so often I seem to start faffing around and not knuckling down to what I should be doing, or at least plan to be doing.  This weekend, for example, I had the whole weekend to myself...oooo hours of sewing I thought but it didn't quite turn out like that.

Maybe because the new bag I was working on had to be unpicked, (argh!!!)... worse than that though, it had to be unpicked TWICE...now you probably sitting there thinking, yeah one mistake it forgivable but to do 2 HUGE mistakes on one project is just stupid!!! 

But, as 'they' say (whoever 'they are? I've never worked that one out??)..every cloud has a silver lining..well it sure did for me as I've now ended up with a little red handbag for myself, as well as larger bag for my shop...of course the twice unpicked one being mine now.

I rarely get the opportunity to make things for myself, infact i should re-phrase that to; I rarely make the time to make things for myself, I'm a people pleaser...love making for others.  I'll leave you with a sneak preview of something new I'm working on...just to keep you in suspense lol =O) x

Folksy Friday

Did you know that it is St Piran's Day? If, like me, you'd never heard of it (being at the opposite end of the country is my excuse) it's Cornwall's National Day.  So without further a do, here are this weeks CORNWALL inspired folksy friday pick - enjoy!!!

Bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea....

Seahorse family by Kirsty Elson Designs from Cornwall

Original photograph by David Emery, taken in Cornwall

Sunset Surf Photographic Print from Bear Graphics

Mother's Love Card (ideal for Mother's day)

Amy, from artbymimi  is from Cornwall

The magical process of the Clotted Cream Mine

Cornish Knocker Giclee Print from The knocking Shop

St. Ives, Cornwall, original gouache painting

by artist Julia from Jublah

A friend from the Woodland Ninja's....Odd little Owl

All the way from Cornwall

Evening light hits the sand dunes at Crantock Beach, near Newquay in Cornwall

Photographic print from Nickscape

Do you have a regular Folksy Friday?  Let me know, and I'll gladly add you to my list.

Happy Friday and have a fantastic weekend.

Marice xx

If it's meant for you, it won't pass you by...

So there i was, yesterday, I'd popped into town in the morning and I'd found myself being drawn to a charity shop that I don't usually go into.  I was 'killing' time before an appointment.  I had a peak in and nothing really caught my eye, but my eye level is on the short side...all 5foot and a half inch of me (mustn't forget the all important half inch, keeps me on the right side of 5ft, lol)...anyway I looked up to the very top shelf and what was there screaming YOU NEED ME....BUY ME ...BUY ME...you're not gonna believe it, but there on the highest ever shelf was....

a Flower Preserving Kit...just what I needed after my recent flower dilema.  Inside the items are in excellent condition, I'd say it has never been used.  There is a flower press, which I'll nab the paper from for my own press, 2 picture frames, glycerine, florist wire & tape, oasis and a cute wee basket & ribbon!!!   Rather a lot for my measly one pound. 

Interestingly though, it shows the 3 different methods...yes, 3!! I thought there was only one - flower pressing.....but air drying and glycerine methods are used too.  Now without sounding like I'm in my 80's, no offence to any older readers of that wonderfully wise age, I'm actually getting quite into this flower preservation thing.  So when I have a spare moment, or two, I'll have a go and let you see what disaster lovely outcome I end up with....ever the optimist LOL...x

Homemade rocks!!!

In our household my kids favourite days are a Tuesday and a Friday...hmm why those particular days you may ask?  well it's our pudding nights....and check this beauty out!!!!

Now if you've read my post which included my disasterous pancake day then you're probably thinking that I'm not exactly a dab hand in the kitchen (fair point) but good old Mr Oliver, okay Jamie to you guys, has come up trumphs with his vanilla cheesecake recipe.  Extremely easy...takes quite a while with all the waiting for layers to set etc but well worth it...

It stands at an impressive 2-1/2" thick!!  And it's photographed on a dinner plate, not a wee side plate!  Just to give you an idea of how big it is here's another mouth watering pic...

It was supposed to be made in a 23cm tin but I only had a 19cm one, if you fancy making one it's in the 'Ministry of Food' book, and if you don't have it you can always borrow it from the library.  Tell you what though, I certainly won't be buying ready made cheesecake anymore, now that I've tasted this.  Do you have a pudding night? and what's your favourite?  For the moment, I reckon cheesecake wins hands down.