please ease off

I wish the sun would come out and get me out of the house and into the garden.  It's not a good thing to be cooped up in the house with a computer - ebay is just too tempting!  I take myself off for a little browse most evenings and have spent a little too much of late (in fact, I didn't realise just how much until I made this list - oops).

a little computer table for under the stairs - fits perfectly and looks good

(photo to be added)

a M&S jacket - a bargain at only £1.04

(photo to be added) 

a couple of zip and link beds - for our guest room

(photo to be added)

a new worktop for my craft room as I feel the need for more work space

(I'll show you when it has been installed)

a little glass trinket dish to go on MrG's bedside table for his loose change!

a couple of scarves to go with my new grey jacket

 

a pair of sandals to go with a new blue polka dot top

a butterfly cross-stitch - just because!

 

I fancy this cross-stitch too but have resisted temptation (so far)

 and I'm holding back on this garden bench too as we already have three benches in our garden - it is a nice one though and would look lovely under our porch.  I'm still tempted...

Has ebay got a hold on you too?  I'd love to hear from you x

may the fourth be with you

I'm not at all into Star Wars but heard this on the radio this morning and thought it was quite funny! Anyhoo, it's Friday evening and we all have that lovely Friday feeling knowing that we have a whole bank holiday weekend ahead of us. We have no plans at all as MrG will probably be working all weekend (boo-hoo). What I would like to do more than anything is to get my fabrics out and do some free-hand machine embroidery. I have lots of ideas for pictures, cushion covers and more... and I'm sure I could get some of them down on fabric tonight ready to embroider tomorrow. I'm quite excited by the prospect.

MissG has also got some sewing/fabric work to do. She has just started her GCSE Textiles project and her brief is to design and make a child's dress. She has already done an ideas board and will develop it to design her own dress then gather fabric samples and ideas for applique and embroidery. It sounds like fun to me!

MissG is also hoping to go to the cinema with her friends to see The Avengers. Has anyone seen it? I heard a film review on the radio and they were raving about it. We are with LoveFilm as my boys are really into watching films. I'm not that bothered about films as I find it hard to sit still for so long. The best time for me to watch a film is a Sunday afternoon while I'm standing doing the ironing! I have a film for this weekend though - Burlesque, starring Cher and Christina Aguilera, as my sis said she enjoyed it.

What do you think the weather is going to be like?  It has looked as if it was going to rain for the last two or three days but it didn't come to anything - is it saving it for this weekend?  I hope not.  I'd like to get into the garden to plant up some sweet peas and verbena.  I'm also going to buy geraniums this year because I love the blooms and find them so easy to look after and they flower all summer long.  I'm not so keen on petunias as although they look very colourful they forever need dead-heading and they're all sticky and horrible.  I'm sorry to say that I've already killed off the cucumber plants my sister gave me (she'd brought them on from seed and presented me with 10 plants).  I left them out overnight by mistake and now they don't look very happy.  If we were to get some nice sunshine this weekend then they may revive - I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend whatever you're doing.  Have fun!

pretty things

A pretty parcel came in the post today

and in that pretty parcel was a pair of pretty pumps

Ooo aren't they lovely?

and more pretty things were to follow

MrG went to do a grocery shop and came back with a pretty present for me

a pack of pretty socks

Ooo isn't he lovely?

hospital visit

On Monday I had to go into hospital for an endoscopy (camera down my throat) and a colonoscopy (camera up the unmentionable!).

I made the mistake of 'googling' the procedure at the weekend and it really wasn't a good idea! I am one of those people who like to read up about things so that I am aware of what's going on and then I'm able to make informed choices.  In this case I really shouldn't have - I read a few 'horror' stories about people feeling quite traumatised about the whole experience.

My sister spent the day with me so we laughed and chatted all day.  By the time I got to the hospital I just wanted to get it over with and didn't really feel nervous.   

I would like to say that the team at Royal Lancaster Infirmary were wonderful.  In at 3pm, out at 6pm and then off to Macky D's for a burger!  I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast on Sunday morning so it went down very well - it tasted so good.

When I got home MrG and MissG had been shopping for some pretty flowers and some 'soothing' English Lakes ice-cream - so lovely and soothing and delicious!  My throat was quite tender so the lovely 'soothing' ice-cream went down a treat.

chic vintique

MrG and I went down to Clitheroe to visit the 'Chic Vintique' vintage sale this weekend. I'm sorry I didn't take any photo's. The village hall was packed with stalls and it was very busy.

I bought a bathroom cabinet to add to my stock-pile of 'projects' in my garage awaiting make-overs. I think this one will look lovely with a white-wash and porcelain knob.  I will let you see the make-over in due course (even if it's months away).

pic to be added here

I bought this vintage clothes airer.  I wanted one to cover with fabric to make a small screen and had been watching a couple of them on ebay.  Luckily I found this one so I didn't have any postage costs to pay!

pic to be added here

My final purchase was a couple of crocheted doilies - a bargain at only 50p each.  I have plans for these!  I'm not going to use these a doilies as I'm not a doily sort of person.  I am actually going to use them to create patterns on air hardening clay and then make them into Christmas decorations.  Knowing me I'll forget about them and won't get round to starting them until I get my tree in mid December. 

little visitor

While looking out of our patio window today we noticed that we had a little visitor...

can't see anything?

only joking!

here he is sitting on our barrel

This is Bernard - a tiny little field mouse

Cute as a button and quite entertaining!

boot sale buys

Believe it or not I had only ever been to one car boot sale prior to the one I went to on Sunday.  The first one I went to was quite a few years ago and I wasn't really that impressed - there was so much tat.  I know that there are bargains to be had because I read many blogs that show off their wonderful buys - lots of vintage pieces, beautiful crockery, jugs etc - just the sort of things that I would love to find.

There is a local car boot sale held every weekend during the spring and summer months and I thought I'd check it out.  I came home with a couple of 'projects' to add to all the other 'projects' that I have stock piled in my garage!

This lovely wooden tray - not quite sure what I plan for this yet.  I could paint it and mount it on the wall as shelves or I could line the drawers with patterned paper and use as storage in my craft room.

  

I was able to use the tray to carry home some new plants for the garden

Luckily MrG came with me because I also bought this mirror for my dressing table.  I know it doesn't look like a 'project' but you should see the paintwork close up - shabby but not in a chic way!

I think my purchases this weekend have kick-started my interest in car boot sales - perhaps now I will be tempted to check my local one out on a more regular basis.  In amongst the tat there are some rather more tasteful things!