Vintage Finds & March Remembered

I was pleased to find this box of crochet coasters in a charity shop recently.  Now crochet coaster patterns seem quite popular in blogland and on Pinterest but they always seem rather impractical to me as they are bound to get stained in use and frequent laundering would spoil them.  So I've turned these into my favourite craft fair/gift item, scented sachets or pincushions.  I cut out hessian squares just a bit bigger than the coasters and attached them with invisible stitches.  I put some scented drawer sachets from M&S inside which were made from thick perfumed paper, then added in polyester stuffing and a button to make a pillow shape.  This has made a very practical pincushion I think as the paper stops pins and needles disappearing inside the cushion.  And for some reason the coconut scent of the paper mixed with the smell of the hessian is very pleasant.

I put together my March review scrapbook page this morning - it does seem that I've done a lot of crocheting in the last 4 weeks.  And if anyone who bought my Daffodil brooches is reading this (yes, I mean you Baukje!) and hasn't seen my Facebook page, I crocheted 77 daffodils and made £105 for my two cancer charities.  I'm happy with that but it doesn't seem much when compared to the no make-up selfie that managed to raise £8 million for cancer research in just a couple of days!!!!!  But as the saying goes (though I hate to say it myself) "every little counts"!

Remembering February

Oh dear, very late again I've created my February digital page.  These pages are really just for me to remember my year but making myself post them here does at least mean I get them done before December!  This is my third year of creating monthly review pages and I do so enjoy looking back at 2012 and 2013 that I really wish I'd started earlier - 2000, the new millenium would have been good but I can't see that happening now!

Anyway, St David's Day and the daffodil brooch project kept me very busy in the run up to 1st March and I'm very happy to report that so far I have raised about £90 for cancer charities selling my brooches.  I still have a few orders coming in so I'm carrying on through March in support of the Marie Curie Daffodil appeal.  If any of my lovely blog readers would like a brooch just leave me a comment. 

January - much rain and wetness!

Yes, its been wet, wet, wet!  But at last I have decided on my monthly photo page design for the year.  This time I'm going for double page spreads.  It will mean my I can use rectangles instead of squares for my photos which I think is better for me as I use an ordinary pocket digital camera not a phone.  Of course the double page is not as good for blogging but as always you can right click on the image and open in another tab if you want a closer look.

So here is January - its not been as bad here inland in North Wales as in other areas, although there was damage on the coast 20 miles away.  The worst effects for me were not being able to clear the mess in the garden as its so soggy, and being ankle deep in mud when I go walking in the fields.  But I count myself lucky that those are my only complaints.

I bought my templates from Jennifer Hignite at These Little Wonders.  She has lots of other great designs if you fancy your own review.  I treat mine like a pictorial diary and really enjoy looking back on my months and years.

Oops ! Late December

The new year is a week old and I'm thinking about my Project 365/Life or whatever its called for 2014.  And I've just realised I haven't posted my December page.  This is for me rather than anyone else as in 2012 I somehow managed to delete my 12 monthly digital scrapbook pages but thankfully was able to retrieve them from my blog.  Anyway - here is December 2013 and I've been looking around for templates to start my 2014 project.

I've just ordered my 2013 photobook diary from Photobox.  I've been very pleased with everything I've had from them in the past (books, calendars, business cards, etc) so no reason to change I thought.  They aren't the cheapest but often offer great discounts so I'm taking advantage of the current 70% off.  My 2012 and 2013 books are both similar in design - scrapbook page on the right and one large photo on the left.  This style is useful as photobooks usually start with 24 pages.  But I haven't yet decided whether to stay with this or go for something different for the coming year.  Oh well, I've got till the end of January to decide.

October Silence!

OMG! Must do better in November. :(  However if you look closely you might see my crochet hooks have been doing overtime! 

Remember September

Its taken me a while but I have finished my collage page for September.  Of course it didn't help when blogger went all strange and I couldn't get into my blog for a while - did anyone else experience this?  I think its back to normal again so no more excuses.  I'm sure also that I'm not the only crafty person beavering away for a couple of Christmassy fairs.  It is after all the final chance of the year to make a bit of cash and therefore justify at least a bit of the money I've spent on stamps, yarn, ink, fabric, and everything else I just couldn't do without craftwise. 

Have a great weekend everyone. 

Just for Carol...... August!

Only joking Carol! ;o)  I've enjoyed putting my page together this month - there were so many photos to choose from it was no trouble at all to fill the template.  Looking at August it seems - and I'm afraid its true - I haven't done much in the garden.  Where are my usual photos of garden flowers.  Its all got rather out of hand and I'll probably be sorry when it comes to tidying up for the winter later on.

But we have had a real old fashioned summer this year and I hope its not over yet as I've a couple of days away next week.  Yesterday I took a late afternoon walk through the fields to enjoy the warm sunshine.

I hadn't walked this way for a few months and while I have to admit the new metal kissing-gates along the path are easier to negotiate, I missed the old wooden stiles.  To me they were much more in keeping with the landscape and aesthetically more pleasing.  I took the earlier photo below last year in exactly the same place - what do you think?

I was followed through the field by these lovely creatures - they really got quite excited when I came through the gate.  I suppose they must have been feeling a bit bored and fancied some company, or perhaps thought I was the farmer bringing them a tasty treat.  Anyway they followed me right to the end of the field and I'm sure would have come down the lane with me if they'd been able to get through the gate!

I had one more encounter before I ended my walk.  I met three young entrepreneurs at the end of the lane who persuaded me I needed the "perfume" they had been making from paint, bubble bath and what to me smelled like orange squash!  I could buy one - but I didn't need to pay anything!  I remember making 'perfume' when we were young.  We collected rose petals in the garden which we put in jam jars full of water to steep for a week or so - I fear the results were far from fragrant!

I hope I wasn't their only customer!

Preserving July!

July gone already!  I really like how my digital photo reviews give a flavour of the month that's just passed by.  It seems in July I created a lot, didn't do enough in the garden and didn't travel far from home! :)  As always, if you'd like a closer look right click on the image and open in a new tab.  Then you can enlarge to see each little photo up close.

The next week or so will be about getting my red and blackcurrants gathered in and turned into something for the freezer or store cupboard (if I had one!).  They are so beautiful on the bush I always take lots of photos. 

I've just one redcurrant bush so they are no problem, but I've about six blackcurrant bushes!  I think I'm going to try cordial this year as well as jam as there is a large crop.  I like Sue's redcurrant cordial recipe at The Quince Tree.  Its nice and straight forward and I like her way of simplifying recipes by adding in her own experiences in the kitchen.  Another new blog to follow!

I'm in the process of redcurrant jelly at the moment but I open froze some of the crop to use later in fruit crumbles - my son's favourite pudding.  When I got them out to bag up this morning they were so gorgeous - just like frosted red beads.  I wanted to thread them into a necklace.... but I don't think they'd last long and my neck would get sticky!!!

A look at June

I do like the thought of signing up to photo-a-day projects like Project 365 and Capture Your 365, however I know I'm not disciplined enough stick with posting a worthwhile pic every day.  I even find it hard to keep up with my aim of posting my month remembered scrapbook pages on the last day of the month or the first day of the next!  But although filling in each of these little squares is time consuming, I am glad I've been able to stick to it for the last 18 months - a look back at the minutia of everyday life is quite enjoyable.  And here we are, half way through the year already - where does the time go!!

May Remembered

Here we are again at the beginning of another month and the year half over already!!  There don't seem to be many makes on my scrapbook page this month but I have been beavering away with my crochet hook most evenings - there just doesn't seem to be much to show for it! 

Happy May Day

A happy May Day to all who read this!  Its a beautiful sunny day here with only that persistent chilliness in the shade to keep one from casting a clout!  This pretty illustration is by Dorothy Heather and you'll find it in Enid Blyton's Twelfth Holiday Book published in 1957. 

Putting together my month remembered page today its hard to imagine how we started April under a thick blanket of snow.  But here are the photos to prove it!  Hope its spring-like where you are.

January Snapped!

Well I had decided not to carry on with the monthly review pages this year but as I was so pleased with them printed in book form I changed my mind.  I searched for another 365 template kit at my favourite digital store Oscraps and went for Maya de Grout's nice and simple templates Snap: The Monthly Shots. 

You might notice a fair amount of crocheting has been going on this month.  Its definitely the craft of the moment and Pinterest is peppered with lovely inspiration and patterns.  I've a couple of projects in the pipeline for blogging and hope I can find time to post this weekend.  If you have crafty or any other plans for the weekend, have a great time and as "Brucie" says, keep dancing...... oh, no, I mean crafting of course! 

December - and goodbye 2012

Here it is - December, my last digital collage for 2012.  Its been rather a self indulgent project but looking back through the months it is nice to remember those odd moments when I've pulled out my camera to take a snapshot of something that has caught my eye.  And of course I want to remember things I've made for future reference.  

Happy New Year to you all and if you are celebrating tonight enjoy yourselves - I'll be wending my way to bed with my cats, my hot water bottle and my new Kindle - honest!

Remember November

 November seems to have been a very dark month and my page has turned out quite dark too - but I can see quite a bit of red in there..... just hinting that Christmas is on its way to brighten and cheer us all up.  And as promised I've picked a winner of the little Christmas tree stamp and die from Wplus9 - its number 8 - yes you Carol!  AKA Inkyfingers - a prolific card maker, I know these goodies will be put to good use.  I haven't found your email Carol so I do hope you see this and send me your address.


And I've an update on the little bridge I reported on in my last post too.  I did go back the next day and it was still there.  I couldn't get up close as the field had been closed off by the council so I took the photo from the road.  As you can see the water level had dropped considerably in just 24 hours but I suppose we'll have to wait and see if its still possible to cross the river safely.

Oh, and just one more thing - can anyone tell me how to dissuade my cat from chewing my knitting needles!  Yes, I know I could just move them from the windowsill, but I like to see them there - and so does Jess too!

Time flies!

Where did September and October go - I didn't see them flash by!  I'm back from my visit to France and realised I hadn't made my October page last night.  Here it is - better late than never I think.  I'll post some more photos of France later on as I have to rush off to work now. :-(  Already it seems an age away.

September Remembered

October is here - everything's the same but nothing is the same!

August Remembered

Looks like August has been a bit of a crochet month craft-wise.  I seem to have the bug at the moment.  Other than that there have been some very enjoyable outings with my sister I'll remember when I look at this digi-scrapbook page at the end of the year.  I like to think of these monthly layouts as a kind of photographic diary and hopefully I'll get them printed and bound some how.  In my opinion looking at a screen is never the same as slowly turning the pages of an old photograph album.

There was a full moon two days ago and since then the weather has taken a turn for the better - warm in the day and a definite chill of Autumn in the evenings.  The sky was clear on 30th August and I took some photos in the garden at about 10.30 pm on my way home.  Its the only place around about that I can get away from the light pollution that ruins any chance of photographing the moon with my pocket camera.  Above are Evening Primroses in silhouette against the moon.

Unfortunately I can see the shadowy handshake in this photo.

Remembering July

I'm never sure whether I'm sorry or glad when another month ends.  Seven 2012 months have already passed, the longest day is long ago and soon we will be thinking of Autumn.  I feel I never really got going in the garden this year and parts of it have gone absolutely berserk when I haven't been looking.  Of course I'm blaming the horrible weather we had in the spring, but also my own laziness - I'm such a fair weather gardener!

While looking for solutions to my gardening problems on the net today I found Garlic & Sapphire,  an inspiring blog created by a talented team of people who love the things I love!  One of the team is my very favourite TV gardener Sarah Raven and I spied that she is currently running a photography competition with a fabulous prize - two places on one of her courses with B+B accommodation thrown in!  Oh if I could only win one of those places!  I quickly sent in my entry - you can enter too as the competition doesn't end until next week.

Here's my picture - its my all time favourite garden butterfly photo.  A female Common Blue - yes, I know its not blue, but the male is.  I love how perfectly her wings blend in with the surrounding grasses.  You can see my photo and all the other entries on the Pinterest competition board.

June

Another new month and a look back at the old.  This time I've stuck with Carina Gardner's design for June instead of adding my own background and elements. I really like this lime and aqua page...... ok - I didn't have time to be original, but I really do like the look of the June page from the Design a Year digi kit.  Its not too late to catch up if you want to design your year and the kit is discounted by 40% at the moment!

And if you are looking for the next in my series of pages from Children Month by Month, here is the July design.  In March we were able to go paddling here in the UK but since then it has all been down hill weatherwise!

May Memorised

Another month has gone by and I've put together my memories of May.  I've been using Carina Gardner's Design a Year digital kit templates for this project but changing the backgrounds to something more to my taste.  This month I've discovered some beautiful digit kits by Anna Aspnes at Oscraps.  Most of the elements I've used here are from Artplay Palette Jardinier. 

It seems the lovely weather we've been enjoying has changed and its clouded over this morning.  Sharp showers are forecast down south and I would like a couple of downpours for my garden too - hopefully the rain will arrive here tonight.  Last Sunday however we were still enjoying the heat wave.  We went up on the moors to cool down and sat in the heather for a while listening to the skylarks.