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Showing posts from May, 2014

Stationery swap

It seems like months ago that I entered into the stationery swap over at Sprouting Creative Wings  and Lisa sent me my swap partner details. My swap partner was Emma Elliott who also lives in Kent bubsiekins.blogspot.co.uk  and I received my parcel last week just in time for my birthday. Thank you Emma for my lovely stationery parcels and for choosing things that I would have chosen myself it was lovely receiving happy post at work. There were two parcels inside my envelope (you can see the pretty wrapping in the first picture) and they contained so many lovely stationery things that I would have chosen myself. I just hope the things I've chosen for Emma are a nice surprise as mine were for me. It was a difficult task that I thought would be a doddle when I entered, but it was great fun finding lots of different things and looking in every possible stationery shop all over Kent. It's a great idea and a good way to meet new bloggers and get to know them a little. Don

May Giveway - Orla Kiely recipe box

I'm having a little giveaway...... I'm giving you all the chance to win a Orla Kiely recipe box in Acorn Design. I have one myself and love it so thought I'd share this lovely box with one lucky winner Now I know a lot of my blogger friends love baking and I thought this neat little box could also double up for seeds. So if you'd like to enter my May giveaway all you have to do is ..... 1. leave a comment with your name and Blog if you have one 2. share on your blog for an extra chance That's it, nice and simple to win a lovely Orla Kiely recipe box. I'll keep this open until the end of May for anyone in the UK only. Good luck - Amanda x

buy hand-made

Even though I make things myself, I always try to buy hand-made when I can and to admire other crafters/artists work. As you know I have a Folksy shop but it's not that fancy, I just add the odd thing I make from time to time. Working full time doesn't allow me to stock it with everything I could make but my hobbies are used every day in the evenings as a good way to unwind and keep my fingers busy. At the moment I crochet in every spare moment and I'm now working on another granny blanket, this time squares. I drive the boys in my house mad with my yarn stash and have to have lots of projects on the go at once to stop me from getting bored! I'm even trying to get a new project together to take on holiday in October (on the Broads this time for hubbies big birthday!) So today I wanted to highlight one of my recent purchases on Folksy and to share the makers details with you all. I received it in the post this morning at work, I love receiving pretty packages especial

A new granny blanket

I'm finishing my blanket today as it's raining here in Kent but I also started a new one this week (naughty ee) it's a Christmas present for my sister. I know it's only May but if it takes as long as the blanket I'm finishing then I've got plenty of time. Do you like the colours I've chosen? I love them and not so bright like my blanket and it was a great excuse to try some new colours. I just love the violet and lavender together. I decided to use parchment to give it a more traditional look and to break up the colours and it may get used in the border. I've been looking through pinterest and there are so many good ideas.   I've also found time to make a new brooch and I plan to make one for a friend who is visting in two weeks time (Bianca).   My zucchini seeds germinated in under a week and are on their first true leaves. I've sown more for my friend Ann who us coming back to Kent in June after 10 months teaching in Abu Dubai. Enjoy

photos from my weekend

wooden bird bought in Bradford upon Avon where's my dinner mum? reed diffuser bottle hand made lavender bags granny stripe blanket in progress over the weekend hand made lazy daisy for my old Cath Kidston bag my front garden with some new plants added 

Walking in the bluebells

I love May, it's my birthday month, Chelsea Flower Show, weather gets warmer and of course beautiful bluebells in Cobham Woods  in Kent and my favourite place to walk. Today we made the most of the lovely weather,  packed up my backpack with some food and a flask of tea and off we drove to Cobham Woods. All four of us in my little Ka because Ians car is in the garage. The ancient woods covering 190 acres is a sight of special scientific interest located within the Kent Downs where a white stag is said to roam, not that we've ever seen it. But we do see the cattle that graze there sometimes walking along a pathway or grazing in one of the clearings. It is one of the very few ancient wood pastures still retaining it's full structure of open grassland and bramble. Wood is copiced here too, there are log piles dotted about and a wood yard. Today the mausoleum was open to the public by The National Trust , just £2 entrance fee or free to National Trust members . Ian rem