MIAM

MIAM

Monday 31 March 2014

Scavenger Hunt - March

I was much more organized this month and remembered to take my snaps earlier instead of leaving it to the last minute.  I loved the March subjects and hope I've done them justice.  I am getting braver and now ask people if I may take their photograph....I tell them I'm a photography student!  So far I've had no refusals.

Thanks to Greenthumb as usual for hosting the challenge 




M is for

Magnolia




9am


Where I am on most days off at this time


Berries




Lit Up

 My plan for this shot was scuppered so I had to make do with the light outside my house.



Grate




Working




Brickwork
 




Cutlery

 Cutlery fashioned into jewellery displayed in a shop window



Flowers





Crisp




Ticket

 Car park ticket on the dashboard of my car



Coloured Door


Thanks for looking at my efforts, you can see the other entries and next month's list  here.

Sunday 30 March 2014

Let's Go Round Again

It's a quick post from me today as I'm on night shift tonight and need to get some shut eye later.
I had just about enough time this morning to knock up a quick and simple card which I'm entering at




I used Seeing Spots - an old Stampin Up set with shades of orange, green and plum, cut a circular aperture in the panel and stamped the sentiment behind it...Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt.  After I'd finished the card it became glaringly obvious that the spots weren't balanced as I'd stamped the large floral motifs in an even number and should have adhered to the rule of threes.   Why this did not dawn on me until after the card was complete I have no idea....it's a schoolgirl error!
Anyways no time to make another.

Here in the UK it's Mothering Sunday.   If you're seeing your mum today, enjoy it...for those of us whose mums are gone, remember happy times.

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Home

Why is it that the first signs of Spring have us launching into nesting mode?  Last weekend saw the South of England bathed in glorious sun...remember what that is?  All of a sudden people emerged with lawnmowers and trowels (me included) to make good the effects of winter.  I even tidied the front garden!


 



 The back saw some action too as I planted 15 Lidl gladi bulbs  (£1.15) and did a spot of pruning..






There's been activity indoors too, where there's been a sort out and jolly good clean.  Blimey, you don't realise how many cobwebs there are until the sun comes out and shows just how much of a slattern you really are. Or is that just me then?  Of course a visitor coming to stay, always prompts a quick dash round with the Hoover,(Auntie coming today) but the place felt so tired I had a bit of a change round and tried to view my home with fresh eyes.      


I've prettied up the spare room and tried to make it look like a bedroom instead of an office, my computer's in here and the desk was laden with bank statements, tax return paperwork and other crap. 
 





My least favourite room is the conservatory....a upvc box.  In the winter it's Ice Station Zebra because there's no heating installed out there and in summer unbearably hot. When I venture in after the winter it's covered in cobwebs, dead insects and spider poo. Nice. I desperately want to do something with it because it is a useful dumping ground space but the main wall is made from ghastly upvc panels which I can't hang anything from or cover up easily. It's also home to the washing machine, which is awkward. 
       
 

 I have a tester pot of green paint as yet unopened, for the walls that I can decorate and I've ordered a couple of cushions.  Radical, I hear you say. Ideally I'd like a sort of potting shed come garden room type of thing...is that madness?  Ideas anyone?








source


Despite the busyness at home I did pop out briefly to a favourite junk shop yesterday for a good old poke about.


 
As I was about to leave the lady inside said how nice it was that someone had spent time and had a proper look at all the stock...do you think the subtext was bloody hell you've been in here 30 minutes and not bought a sodding thing ?
Anyways I mosied on down to the next village to have another rummage in their vintage nook where I had more luck. 
 They had some racy titles


which I managed to resist, but this (1960's?) little French desk calendar had to come home with me..



Still in good working order, it was covered in decades worth of grime, but after a swab with a windolene soaked cotton bud and a wipe down, it's not looking bad.  I googled Etablissements Nalet and they are still in business...depuis 69 ans, in fact. 



I love it and think it's worth every penny of the five quid I paid for it.  Have you bought anything for your home lately?

Saturday 8 March 2014

Scavenger Hunt - February

 Another late entry to Greenthumb's Scavenger Hunt! Due to the atrocious weather, photography has been limited so some of these have featured on my blog previously or been dragged out of the archives.


  F is for
 
 Fiona's feet 
(with blingtastic toenails taken just before last years holiday)

3pm

The school bus drops off the local kids

Grain

Grains of sand on a Cornish beach


Lamp

 I re-covered the shade with the pretty fabric and pom-poms.


Clock


Honey


Fountain

 The most famous fountains in Britain?

Round

 Sculpture at the Cass Foundation, Goodwood

Shadow 


Prudy snoozing in the shadow of the wheelbarrow


Group

 The Bootleg Beatles 
(note all the grey heads in the foreground!) 

Repurpose

 There's a lot of repurposing going on at the allotments. This bath is now a water tank...can't imagine it's been needed lately.

Clouds

Cumulonimbus?

 Do have a squizz at the other entries and next months list of subjects.
If we can believe the weather forecasters it's going to be a great weekend, so enjoy... and thanks for looking.

x



Sunday 2 March 2014

Crochet, A Card and Jumble Sale Joy

This week at Less Is More the challenge is GREEN and YELLOW. I only have one mustard yellow inkpad which reminds me of a newborn's nappy, so stamping was out. Here's what I did instead.



All cardstock came from my stash as did the ribbon.
Daisy punch by Woodware. Embossing folder by Cuttlebug
Sentiment by Stampin Up 

I'm also linking to:
 Stampin Royalty- Clean and Simple
The Card Concept - Clean and Simple floral
I made this card for one of the ladies at my regular
 Stitch and Bitch class who knitted me these beautiful fingerless gloves because I'd admired a pair she'd previously made. 
 Wasn't that kind?



When I remarked how lovely they were, she said, in a very modest way 'oh they only took me an evening to knock up'
(jaw hit the floor) 

My knitting is abysmal but the crochet's not bad, although very basic as yet.  I've made progress with my stash busting blanket..



 and I've recently started a small cot blanket for a work colleague who's expecting in May.  She has invited me to her
 Baby Shower...WTF!



I know, I know. I've become a grumpy old woman...but really?
 We'll be celebrating Thanksgiving next.

Anyway grumpy or not, one thing guaranteed to put a smile on my face is a jumble sale at the scout hut.  When I arrived an hour before doors opened yesterday, there were already twenty people ahead of me!  At midday the plastic fencing was released and there was a stampede to get to the bric-a-brac and the book stall, which is legendary.  The sale of clothes started an hour later and saw another mad scrum, I filled a dustbin liner and paid £2.30 for the lot. 
I'll show you the clothes next time, here's the other stuff I bought. 

70's rattan lightshade 50p, three novels by Lisa Jewell 20p each
council workman light (I now have two!) £1


I've done my hour of exercise this morning and now there's a lazy day ahead, what are you up to?