Christmas over for another year.......



I hope all you lovely ladies had a great day and were all spoilt rotten and got everything you wanted, I can't quite believe that's it for another year all those weeks of planning and shopping then planning and panicking and before we know it whoosh it 9pm Christmas night and we're all sat on the sofa fit to burst and desperately looking for something to watch on the tv.

We had quite a relaxed Christmas as the boys are that much older we don't have that major toy hunt for the latest power ranger or action man tank ..........those were the days all those lovely square boxes so easy to wrap.

Now it's smaller things that cost lots more and are not very impressive when wrapped but at least we don't have the huge pile of toys with no homes and have to rearrange bedrooms just to put everything away, or find things in May that still haven't been looked at.

I got some lovely presents lots of Russian dolls, fabric, books, Cath Kidston bag, tins, sewing threads more tins, a gorgeous Boden jacket, I'll take photos of everything tomorrow.

I'm going back to my glass of wine and yet more chocolate.
Speak again tomorrow
Kate.

How can it be December 18th already???
I bet you thought I'd dropped off the edge of the world didn't you?
well no I haven't I've been doing all sorts of things that seem to get in the
way of blogging.
Christmas shopping being the most time consuming, just when you think
your just about finished you realise you've bought one son more than the
other, with the older two it doesn't matter but when your a twin even at 14
it matters. We've also had a visit from my eldest he came to cut hair and earn
some extra money, we've had university visits EEEEKKK how did that happen
Miles wants to go to Bournemouth, but we're also looking at Bristol, which is where
Tom wants him to go, not sure he would be a great influence on him though, but I
must admit it would be easier for us if both boys were in Bristol, we'll see what happens
in the new year.
Lots of other things have happened but nothing very interesting.

I was looking for some ribbon to finish wrapping my presents, but because I love
ribbon so much I hate putting it on presents, it's different on family ones because I
usually whip it back just after they've opened the present, but on the presents I'm not
around when they're opened I don't like to think of my lovely ribbon going in the bin, so
I got some binding tape I think it is, some stamps and some ink pads and before you know
it you have lovely hand crafted ribbon for all your presents, I like it so much I'm using it
on all of them, so my precious ribbon can stay with me hehehehe.

Must go now I've still got a couple of presents to wrap.

Speak soon

Kate.

Stop the world I want to get off..............
I really don't know where the time is going at the moment weeks just seem to fly by in an instant, and Christmas is just around the corner.
I'm looking forward to a relatively quiet week, no orthodontist appointments, no university visits, no interviews and no husband at home all week just because he has holiday to use up, I tell you I don't mind when I have a bit of a warning but when he announces on Friday oh by the way I'm off next week, well you can imagine can't you, thank god he can carry the other week over till next year hehehe love him really.
Right what have I been up to, well all of the above as well as a trip to Ikea and a migraine thrown in for good measure, I've done quite a bit of sewing for swaps and Christmas presents so no photos I'm afraid, I'm also making tiny bunting, the only reason is I couldn't bear to throw the little bits of fabric away and that's the only thing I could think of making, I'll let you know how it turns out.
I also have a miniature tailors dummy which needed covering so I used some of the scraps for that, so all in all I've been quite productive considering all that's been going on, but I'm really looking forward to a much quieter week..........famous last words!!!
Speak soon
Kate.

THE DELIGHTS OF THE COUNTRY LIVING CHRISTMAS FAIR !!!! Thursday saw me travelling up to London to the delightful CL fair to meet up with some lovely bloggy ladies Rose, Victoria and Kelly. I certainly wasn't disappointed so much gorgeousness under one roof was to say the least bloody amazing !!!

These photos are completely rubbish I know but there was so much to look at I really didn't know what to look at first it was all so nice, so I apologise.

I know you don't want to hear me waffling on you just want to see what goodies came home with me, I know I know get on with it Kate.........

My first purchase was this lovely bunting which I bought to cut up and either frame or as the lovely Kelly suggested sew onto cushions and the union jack Christmas stars.

Next came more patriotic bunting and these gorgeous paper chains, do you see a theme developing!!!!

I couldn't resist this lovely cushion and really wish I'd bought two.

Next came these lovely lavender hearts these were only £5 so a real bargain, and these pretty tea towels which will be made into something else don't know what yet though.

These are gorgeous ribbons from Caroline Zoob and are on wooden bobbins, and lovely little red embroidered bunting.

I didn't even realise this offer was on until I met up Victoria and Kelly in the afternoon, if you subscribed to Country Living not only was it nearly half price you got a free Jan Constantine stocking WOW.

This is all the brochures and cards I picked up so I can spend more time on the computer looking at more gorgeousness.

So all in all a very successful day it was so lovely to meet up with Rose, Victoria and Kelly my bloggy ladies in 3D as my boys called them, they were all lovely and I'm sure we could of chatted for hours, it was such a shame more of us could have made it but maybe next time?

Speak soon

Kate.

Pink cupcake fabric yummy.

Tilda fabric even more yummy.

Christmas red spot fabric and bobble trim and some lovely ribbon.

Forgive me Father for I have sinned...........

It has been too long since my last blog entry and I bought FABRIC!!!!!!!!

OMG I hear you cry why o why could she possibly want with more fabric?

where is she going to put it? is she actually going to make anything or just stroke it lovingly?

yes I know I'm weak really really weak I admit it put pretty fabric in front of me and I loose all sense of reason, not that I have much of that at the best of times.

I defy anyone to resist pink fabric with cupcakes and the Tilda fabrics are so so pretty they just had to come home with me, then I found these tiny Russian doll rubber stamps and you know I really can't resist them.

Then I found this lovely red with tiny white spot fabric and at only £2.49 a metre I thought it would be perfect for Christmas cushion covers, tablecloth and maybe some bunting, I do like a theme at Christmas and I'm planning only red and white eeek what am I going to do with everything else? it can stay in the loft this year....maybe we'll see. Then the cherry on the top of my fabric cake is the red bobble trim oooh I loooove bobble trim.

I have so many things going on in my head at the moment, I might even be going back into nannying for twin boys no less, are you mad I hear you scream? yes probably, if it's meant to be then it will happen.

I really do need to concentrate, something I find really difficult, I'm going to the Country Living Christmas Fair on Thursday and will be meeting some lovely blogging ladies so I'm really excited if a little bit nervous, it will be great and I can't wait.

The only trouble is when I go to fairs like that I come out with 101 more ideas going around in my poor little head, oh no what if they have fabric there, I'll try and be good and take lots of lovely photos for all you girls who can't make it.

Speak soon

Kate.

HALF TERM

Hello everyone hope we're all having a good half term, I must say the weather has been lovely which always helps.

We're having a great week, starting Saturday with Greenday at the O2 who were absolutely fantastic they certainly know how to put on a show and they were on stage for nearly 3 hours WOW!!! I'm just a rock chick at heart (as long as it's a pink flowery heart).

Sunday was just a relaxing day, no football matches, no in-laws to visit just a day to do nothing bliss.

So half term kicks off properly on Monday and now my youngest boys are nearly 14 I haven't got the stresses of finding something for them to do everyday I'm just the open purse and the occasional driver which is fine by me. I think I've done my time with bowling/swimming/swings/zoo etc.

That brings me to today which was spent mostly sat in the car in Cobham watching the boys skateboarding, I did venture out of the car and I'm so glad I did, Cobham has some very nice little shops, some ridiculously overpriced, well it is footballers wives territory.

Two little shops were full of oo-la-la gorgeousness, I was very restrained but I did buy a few little treats for being such a good mummy!




Isn't this tin lovely.

I thought this wrapping paper would make a good picture mount around my union jack felt heart I'm halfway through making.

This is also wrapping paper I was looking at a print of the UK not so long ago but it was £65 this one was £1.50 what a bargain, just got to find a frame for it and we'll be away.

Couldn't resist this notebook and Christmas cards, I found a pattern for a quilt with Russian dolls on which I think I'll have to have a go at, because it was lovely.

Now I was in two minds about the bunting I've made lots of bunting over the years and it is really easy, but I wanted this for the bathroom and I thought for the sake of £5.99 I couldn't be bothered to sort the fabric out if it's that cheap to buy, lazy I know.

I did go into a couple of charity shops nothing special but I did find these 2 books.
Needlework a school text book from 1959.

And Clothing construction and wardrobe planning from 1960.

Some of the pictures are hysterical.

And a great bit of advice for anyone "Don't hang your pants like this unless you want puckers or rust spots"

now don't say you've not been warned.

Speak soon

Kate.

SHOW US YOUR CATH.................
These are one of my most prized possessions sad I know but I love them, they date back to Spring 2005 all that loveliness.

This is what I look at while washing up.........

These were a gift from my lovely friend Ann.

These are cheap drawers from Ikea with a Cath make over.

This is my sewing basket.

Two lovely pictures the top one says "Give the world the best you have and the best will come back to you".

Diary, notebook, stickers and cards.

Gorgeous books.

Pretty fabric.

A tiny bit of fabric framed.

A bag I made.

Cath storage boxes.

More fabric..........

A bit more fabric........

My bag.

My purse.

So there you go a little bit of my Cath Kidston collection I'll do another post with more bits and pieces I just didn't want to miss the party today.

Speak soon

Kate.

It's getting mighty cold...............

As the temperature seems to be dropping like a stone lately I thought I'd make some pretty draught excluders, although why I'm bothering I don't know because I seem to have boys who are very good at opening doors but haven't seemed to master closing them, that's why I can often be heard shouting DOOR several times a day.

So what fabric to use oh decisions decisions, so after lots of umming and ahhhing I finally decided, now what do I make just a sausage type one? nah maybe a dog one? nah oh bloody hell this is worse than choosing the fabric.

As I'm a lazy moo at heart and want instant results it had to be the bog standard sausage type one, more long cushion than sausage but it does the job and the joke is the fabric wasn't even in the pile it's Laura Ashley I think and I will have to make cushion covers to match.

Speak soon

Kate.

Blimey where did that week go?

I want to know what happens to my time, it seems to wizz by without me even knowing it, I can't believe its been a over a week since Miles and I went up to London.

I know where my weekend went it was spent moving my eldest Tom into his new flat with his girlfriend Laura ahhh young love it's so lovely to see them together, it does make me feel really old though. At least I wasn't a blubbering wreck on the way home like I was when he first moved to Bristol I seem to have toughened up. The move went really well and it's a lovely flat so I hope they'll be really happy there. I must say that Laura is really lovely and has the most beautiful shoes you have ever seen, I should have taken photos of them they were that good, and Tom informs me that he chose at least 3 of the pairs (great taste my boy has, gets it from his mummy) .

Sunday was taken up with the twins football match which they won 7-1 well done boys, so that was the weekend.

I have done some crafting and as I missed the knitting and stitching show at Alexandra Palace I've been going through my ridiculously large stash of fabric, one day I'll post a photo of it but I'm not sure if hubby reads my blog and he might start adding up all those fat quarters and metres of divine fabric and come to an appalling sum of money yikes!!!

I know I'm not the only one that goes completely stupid when faced with gorgeous fabrics my mum and both sisters are the same and I know many of you bloggy ladies are the same, it's an addiction I tell you, an addiction I don't want to go into re-hab for thank you very much.

I've been doing a lot of cutting and sticking as my lovely husband calls it, I have a bit of a thing for the letter K and have quite a few dotted around the house so i decoupaged one of my plain wooden ones and I think it turned out quite well, I've also been buying those blank canvas's from the 99p shop so cheap and great if your just sticking pretty things to it I'm not sure they are great to paint on though.

I decorated one of these and again I like the way it turned out, I've also been sorting out my Halloween decorations I didn't realise I had quite so many so if anyone sees me in TK Maxx looking lovingly at the pumpkins feel free to usher me away.

I made so button flowers with some of my collection and added some silver springy things to go with them which go nicely in my White Friers vase which I bought a couple of years ago for £1 and am reliably informed is worth £35-£40, not bad eh.

I think that's enough wittering for now

speak soon

Kate

Mummy and Miles went out tatts.

Today my 18 year old and me went into London to the Friends Coffee shop just off Carnaby Street, thanks to the lovely Victoria who blogged about it the other day.

I don't often get chance to go out with Miles so it made such a nice change to go somewhere he was quite interested in, I mean he wasn't bothered about going but I didn't have to drag him there either. Miles doesn't like photos so these are sneaky ones taken when he wasn't looking.

So thank you Miles for a lovely afternoon, and if your wondering what tatts means it's what I used to say to the boys when they were little.

Back tomorrow with some crafting.

Speak soon

Kate

xxx