A camping we will go ...

We are off on a 3 night camping jaunt as a wee family of three to a lovely camp site in the East Sussex countryside... where I hope we can use this book i found at a country fete last summer

 
and this one too ....

Enjoy your coming week xox

my girl allypops

Summer time and the living is easy... especially if you are 9 years old ! Alice spent a joyous day at her art teacher Janie's home crafting and painting and sticking to make a series of herb pot plants.

  

She took these 2 photos for us to print out for her to put in her summer diary for school and I felt a little naughty and decided to nick them for my blog, only because she's my incredibly stupendously special girl whom I want to share with the world xox

ps. it was granny K's birthday yesterday and conveniently we had a gift of grandchild handmade loveliness to hand over : )) it was a perfect win win situation

Crochet time

At very long last I have got round to photographing some pictures of my fingerless "shell/scallop" patterned gloves for little Alice. I've made them from a tweedie yarn which is cosy and warm and needs to be put away till the seasons change here in the uk. They will be added into her box of hand made by mama goodies for her 10th birthday in September this year. I know she will love them as she has been nagging me for some for a while now... a very big thank you to Alice @crochet with Raymond who can be found at her blog here

So here they are...I decided to do 3 rows of treble crochet for her thumbs instead of just leaving a little space for her thumbs to peek out.

 I am very pleased with the result and have added a couple of blossoms for fun (not a very well focussed picture) These gloves were made 3 weeks ago whilst basking in the sun at our local beach xox

We also went camping this weekend which was superb with gorgeous weather, fabulous friends and plenty of delicious food and wine to indulge in. I simply could not have idle hands though and so I took some of my coloured cottons for hooky happiness under a tree and here is the beginning of a blanket for a special friend.I am loving the colours and think I ill have to add a few scattered blossoms too, what do you think ?

This week I have enjoyed ...

Watching some of my roses bloom

Watching Alice bloom

Making more vintage buttoned clips and bunting for the wonderful Lily Rose shop who sells them for me

and remembering our glorious wedding day xox

Vintage tea party

I had the pleasure of turning 40 on 1st of May this year and thought I would share some of the photo's from my little cream tea party with a vintage and Alice in wonderland twist !

Some pretty homemade bunting to invite the guests in ...

Then a bit of tea and cake ..

and more...

yummy victoria sponge cake on my own home-made cake stand... see that Alice added her wonderland twist of an "eat me" flag for the cake x

 Home made cup cakes and jam tarts on another of my cake stand creations

Something to drink ?

Any milk with that my dear?

or a little elderflower juice instead ?

Please have some more to eat ...

All in all it was a very happy, spring bank holiday 40th birthday ...

 

Even my apple tree that I rescued blossomed for me xox

Sundowners

A couple of weeks ago I decided to attempt to make elderfower cordial for the first time ever made from a recipe found on the lovely http://www.hardakerandpope.blogspot.com/ 

I was very pleased with the whole process of picking elderflowers and washing them and then came the SUGAR... woaweeee what a lot of sugar to make a super flower syrup

While this was boiling up and shouting at the England team was coming from the lounge I popped outside to contribute to emptying a bottle of bubbly wine to decant the cordial into (excuses excuses.... on a hot summer sunday afternoon !)

(Why won't this picture flip to the right ?)

Then came the lemons... smell that zest, see that yellow happy summer colour...

and hey presto... 2 bottles of delicious zesty, elderflower cordial for happy summer sundowners, best served with ice, sparkling water and a sprig of mint. Yummy xox

(another pic that won't flip...sorry)

Makes a perfect summer gift for family and friends, make a fun label as Alice did in the above photo for my work colleagues xox

Fluffy friends on the line

With the advent of the goooorgggeeeooous summer we are having I decided that itwas time to sort out the little furry people on Alice's shelves... surprisingly she agreed ( being almost 10 is very grown up mummy!) and so a charity shop bag was filled and the last few left behind were sorted into clean and "needing a wash" and so here is a picture of those fluffy friends on the line looking clean and happy xox