The In Between time

I always find this time a little bit strange, in between Christmas and New Year.I absolutely love Christmas, not so fussed about New Year! We have had a wonderful relaxing time, lots of lounging, eating, playing on Singstar!I watched Hamlet with David Tennant, he was brilliant, I mean I watched David on TV, he wasn't with me on the sofa! That was the fisrt Shakespeare play I have ever watched all the way through and I quite enjoyed it! Cabin fever started to set in yesterday though I hadn't been out since Christmas Eve! My sister and her 4 children had come for an overnight stay, a lovely time was had by all but my sister and her 3 girls and myself went on a brisk walk to blow the cobwebs away! It was very cold and refreshing. All the visitors have gone now and its just us, keeping cozy indoors on this cold soggy day!

Bad news, our dishwasher has died, well actually my son accidentally killed it! Somehow he jammed a plate between the rubber seal on the door and water leaked into the electrics and it blew! This was before my sis arrived so we had to keep washing up for 9 people, God I loved my dishwasher!

My daughter has taken her friend to London for some open air ice skating for her friend's Birthday treat.Not sure which rink she has gone to, but they all look wonderful. she'll be going back to Brighton on New Years Eve for a party at her uni house. Just when I get used to having her at home she's off again!

Hope you are enjoying your In Between Time! I look forward to chatting with you all in The New Year!

Rachel x

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, may your Dreams come true and you and your families be Happy and Healthy!

Everything is done now, family visited in Birmingham, seeing old friends, delivered festive gifts.I have made decorations.

I'm having a Baileys coffee with Hubby and listening to Christmas songs, while my children have tootled off to town for last minute gifts!

I shall do a spot of baking later from this marvellous book!

Enjoy your festivities, wherever you are!

Thank you so much for all your comments during the past year, I have loved reading each and every one of them!I have really enjoyed reading your blogs too! See you in 2010!

Much Christmassy Love

Rachel xxx

And the winner is....

Vanessa from (Do you mind if I knit)

Well Done Vanessa!

Thank you so much ladies, for sharing all your Christmas traditions, I really enjoyed reading them all! I love the thought of outdoor ice skating, how lovely! So many traditions are passed down by families and then we add to them don't we! I hope you and your families have a Really Wonderful time and that all your wishes come true!

We shall be putting up our decorations on Saturday and then I can start on the wrapping, I love it!

Right, I'd better contact Vanessa for her address to send her parcel to!

TTFN!

Rachel x

Christmas Giveaway!

Although we are in December, I still quite can't believe it! It maybe due to the fact that Hubby was away working in Egypt for the WHOLE of November and I was left on my own with my boy! Now recently my boy has gotten himself a good social life so I was alone. A lot.In fact even when he is in, he's a boy of few words!(he's 15)

For example" How did work experience go today? " Good"

What happened then?" "Stuff"

The upside was that I had lots of time on my hands to make 'stuff 'and make 'stuff 'I did! Lots of handmade Christmas presents and working on new design ideas.Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy time on my own, but a whole month is just toooo long especially when it's only meant to be for 2 weeks!So, to get me in the full festive spirit of December thought I'd have a little giveaway!

It will be a little parcel of goodies including, one of my Christmas fairies,

A little bunny made from vintage Witney blanket,

And a gingham heart,there will also be a few surprise gifts! They will be held in one of my heart calico bags!

All you have to do is tell me about one of your Christmas traditions in your home and I'll enter you into the draw!

One of my traditions is wrapping presents next to the lit Christmas tree, with a Baileys coffee and a mince pie, listening to my CD of all the old crooners!Especially Bing Crosby singing Drummer Boy, you know the per u pa pum pum song! Love it, hubby isn't keen on that CD though ,he prefers the Mariah Carey Christmas CD!

Can't wait to hear about yours! I'm off to have a slice of homemade flapjack , still abit warm and crumbly and a cuppa, hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Oh, the draw will close on Wednesday, to give me enough time to post it off! Overseas ladies are very welcome to join in too!

Rachel x

Blimey, it's hard to photograph velvet!

Hello Gals!

Well this week I have still been yo-yo'ing, it's a great little stash buster!

My favourite one so far is the velvet. Now usually I wouldn't use velvet in a sewing project, as it's a bit difficult to work with, but for hand sewing it's been great!It's so difficult to photograph though! I took this one on my knee!

It feels beautiful so soft and it's a beautiful deep red( not my knee ,the brooch) I shall definitely be wearing one on my grey winter coat too!I have made some for Christmas stocking fillers too!

This one is made from a linen mix.

In fact I have been so addicted to making yo-yos I have some brooches going into my little shop later today!

Hope the sun is out for you, it is here, although it's very cold, fresh shall we say!

I shall be having a Christmas giveaway on Friday too!

Rachel x

Yo-yo mad!

What do you get when you cross a pair of palazzo pants, a skirt lining, gingham and a few shirt buttons?

Ta-da!

A Christmas yo-yo garland!

This yo-yo malarkey is addictive you know!

I've made a bracelet too and I love it!

Whoops, that one's a bit blurryThat's better!

This lovely lady has been yo-yoing this week tabiboo/.blogspot.com/

You can find lots of links if you'd like to make yo-yo's yourself!

I'm off to do some more!

Have a lovely weekend!

Rachel x

A cozy evening in

A spot of hand stitching by lamplight,hearts on calico bags.

A delicious cup of hot chocolate, orange peel and cinnamon flavour, as recommended by this lovely lady! tabiboo

I didn't have cream on mine but I did have 2 Brazil chocolate cookies, yum!

Yep I'm definitely cozy, warm and relaxed!You have a cozy evening too!

Rachel x

Prettifying my storage.

I'm dabbling a bit today, having a bit of a sort out in my Tiny craft room, it needs it believe me!

The little jar to your right was an apple sauce jar with a black lid this morning.I like to think I have 'prettified' it with a floral serviette and a scrap of ribbon! Please ignore the plastic bag trying to get into the picture.The same goes for my double chin! The glue is still drying on the jar so you can still slightly see the black rim, I'm hoping this will disappear as it dries!

I've also covered the cardboard box to the left with the same napkin.

In the background is my spotty tin that I bought from Laura Ashley in the sale, that's the only time I ever buy from Laura Ashley!I bought the turquoise glass vase from the boot in the summer for 20p, Bargain!

I'm off into the garage to find some more glass jars.

Wishing you all a Happy weekend!

Rachel x

Away with the Fairies

Well I have been for 2 days! Making a pattern for them ,deciding whether they need hair or just a bow, decisions, decisions.Once I'd finished the first one I got a little bit addicted, I love stitching them together whilst snuggling up on the sofa and watching Coronation Street! Talking of which, poor Roy, do you reckon he's a gonna, is Tony going to get his come uppance or not?
Rachel x

Today I'm loving...

listening to the new Robbie Williams CD on Spotify! It's fantastic!Especially love the track You know me.

My new pins, so colourful, little things please little minds and all that!

Bunting in progress, I have made 10 lengths of bunting this week as I have 3 events, Thurs, Fri and Saturday

Browsing images of kitchens,especially love these two.Our kitchen is smaller than this,but we are hoping to knock down a wall and have a kitchen diner after Christmas

Image from McKeown Kit

Image from Country Living





A girl can dream....


I'm off to stitch Gingerbread men next!
Rachel x

Today I met Jemma Redgrave!

Yes I did! I was walking into Witney to buy yarn, when a car driving towards me pulled over to ask me for directions.As I looked into the car I realised it was a famous actress from TV, as I turned into a blithering idiot trying to remember the way to Ramsden (a small village) the cogs in my brain were whirring ,

What I said,

You could go on to the next village and turn right,

You might be better to go back to the island and turn left,

You're not far away,

Sorry, I haven't really been very helpful!

What I was thinking ,

Oh my god, it's a famous actress from TV,

She's prettier in real life,

What on earth is her name?

She's got a lovely voice!

She was in that Doctor programme on TV

I think she's from a family of famous actresses,

What's she doing around here?

I wonder who she's visiting in Ramsden?

I hope Jemma Redgrave and her little boy made it to Ramsden, as I was useless at directions!

After I explained her to my friend Darryl, He said was she in Bramwell?Yep that's the doctor programme I was thinking of! was the lovely and very pretty Jemma Redgrave!

Also making me belly laugh today is this clip, so true!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0McxNdNgpU&feature=related

Rachel x

Trying to be organised!

Indeed I am, but not being very successful at the moment!

I have managed to start and finish a handmade Christmas gift though.This is ready to pop in the trunk for a special someone!

I still haven't stitched the handles on my patchwork bags though, must do that today ready for my stall tomorrow.

Also completed 2 lengths of bunting in pink.I've got to complete a red and blue one next.


Made a bird decoration to hang in the dining room too (sorry the photo is a bit dim)

I bought this useful book a few months ago to record what we buy people for Christmas , but I forgot where I put it! Just found it this morning at the back of my knicker drawer! That would be the one filled with pretty lacy knickers that I haven't wore for a while as I've put on weight, not the practical everyday knicker drawer with comfy knick knacks. Am I the only one with a knicker drawer such as this?Anyway, just explaining why I haven't seen the wee book for a while, too much information I know!

Just one more thing, my little frame from the 99p shop isn't it sweet, just need to pop a photo in it!

Have a lovely day ladies!

Rachel x

Plenty of patchwork!

Ahh yes, theres been lots of patchwork going on in my little craft room

I've been trying to use up lots of my fabric scraps

A quick little project, I framed a piece of fabric from a little girls dress!

Oh dear, this little chap has been waiting for his face since Easter! Must sort him out soon!

I bought this little wicker shelf unit at the boot in the summer.I painted it white, which was very fiddly, I should've used spray paint really. Anyway I'm quite pleased with it now.It sits on my craft table holding lots of stuff!

Bonne Maman jars are so useful aren't they! I love my teeny pincushion from http://lucybloom.blogspot.com/ too!

I shall be back later in the week to show you some of my finished patchwork bags.

Keep cozy, it's a bit chilly today!

Rachel x

New Makes!

Just a few things I have made recently but haven't taken pictures of until today

The heart above is made from a Woolworths teatowel, a brand new one, although it has been in my stash for a while, funny, I have lots of fabric like that!

The red heart is made from a wraparound skirt of my friend's . She never wore it, it reminded her of a tablecloth! I also made a bag from this fabric!
Back to my furniture painting now!

TTFN Rachel x