Hustle, bustle patchwork.....x

Tuesday saw a bit of a road trip, it was little bumblebee's actual birthday, and......off we zoomed to London. Both bumblebee's like a bit of hustle and bustle, busy busyness. I am sure, once they are of age, they will indeed fly the nest, and end up in a city somewhere. But lets now wish away the years...back to London......

Can I please have a little piece of this? I 'll even just settle for a room in your house if you live here.....please make contact, a room on this road ...I'll swap you for...ummm.....say cakes made each week, and perhaps a patchwork cushion or...ummmm.......some vintage treasure??? No?!........how rude...

On the subject of patchworks.....my tortoise pace blanket is, coming along at urmmm tortoise pace....hand sewing is a lengthy process no doubt, but extremely enjoyable. And only a few late night mistakes have been made so far....a novice, that's me. I think the trouble will come once I need to start adding wadding and backing.....you see I am making it to fit a double bed comfortably ( this means a little bit of dangling either side..the cottage is tre cold in the winter, and I like to feel no drafts...or giraffe's as the bumblebee's would say )...

It's nice to have a big project on the go that I can keep getting back to.........I am giving myself until winter ( yup vague I know...that's deliberate! )...............xxx 

She'll always be my baby bumblebee........x

My baby bumblebee is 5 tomorrow. She is feeling rather grown up and excited, I am feeling rather strange about it all. I am excited for her, to be a whole year older ( it was such a big thing wasn't it at that age, to be even a year older...) but I feel my Tilly, my little girl has grown up so fast, and I don't quite know how it happened so quickly......

She had a very girly party on Sunday, with all her school pals, they danced to Abba and Olly Murs, and ate sweets and ice creams, and watched big bumblebee perform a puppet show for them all.....

Another mummy said to me..." you should do children's parties "....my reply?......................" NO!!!!! I enjoy all the planning, but oh NO! My children's party's are quite enough!"..........I thought the cute little princess carriages were brill, the girls all loved them, most took them home with them, and it fits just the right amount of food in, AND recycle-able...... fab.....Party pieces........nuff said.

The donut cake you must do. Absolutely effortless, and I even saw girls munching theirs on the way out as they couldn't wait till they got home.....( hooo hum, maybe those carriages don't hold enough food! ).......

So there we go....I will never host another 5th birthday party in my life....ever? How does that feel...ummmm weird, but I suppose in a god way, we are nearer the cinema and a pizza stage? Ooooh or midnight snacks and sleepovers......a glass half empty or half full??!!!!!

We are off on a little 5th Birthday adventure tomorrow.......it's a surprise for the girls......can't wait!..xxxx

Slipped through the net......x

I'm a fond fan of a cushion. A girl can't have too many to squish and snuggle amongst.........and I can't believe I forgot to show you this baby.....she is new, and a birthday gift from a pal, hand made with her own fair hands.

Pretty, pretty fabrics, lovely bit 'a pipin, and some pom-pom trim, and of course some patchwork.

It's brilliant isn't it?

We have been party planning this morning, little bumblebee has a few girly friends from school over this weekend, and both my girls have been keen to get involved. We made cheese straws...munch munchy, and assembled party bags too, having fun with sweeties, cellophane, and stampers..........

We're hoping to make some tissue paper pom-poms to hang about the house/garden too...(  my cushion maker friend, also showed us these...will reveal all soon ! ) .......and that will be it. I LOVE children's parties soooo soooo much, ....BUT they can quickly get out of control, and before you know it, you are up till gone midnight perfecting a princess/ladybird/castle cake....freaking out about the colour and consistency of your icing, wrapping up layers and layers for pass the parcel, only to get to the end and forget how many you've done....

Well those days are over....for me anyway, not to say the children won't have fun, and oh yes there will be party games, AND a SORT OF cake ( boggled yet??!! ) fun, giggles, and smiles.....BUT it will be simpler for me, less panic and more enjoyable for all.........

It's the only way forward.......T.T.F.N xxx

Homemade wrapping paper.............x

Wrapping presents, for me, is up there with the smell of nutmeg, flower meadows, a crackling fire, and children's giggles.....

I suppose you can spend £5 on a lovely roll of thick wrapping paper, beautifully printed......BUT I prefer brown paper. We jazz it up with pretty ribbons and tags, patterned tape, potato printing, and the bumblebee's love to use their colouring pens to draw pictures relevant to the receiver.....

Using scrap pieces of paper, the girls set to making their own wrapping paper this morning. I would be thrilled to receive such a piece of artwork!!!!!

F.Y.I........left is a toadstool and right is Cath Kidston's house! I love their little imaginations......

xxxxx

A change and a sink????????????????? ......x

On our first day of the summer holidays and the bumblebee's are happy enough to spend it at home.....goody I say. It gives me a chance to catch up on things...and to play with my girls.

AND to show you a new treasure. Biggest bumblebee was poorly with a stomach bug this weekend....but by Sunday morning she was back to her perky self, and eager to car-boot it to find some Rainbow Magic books to add to her collection. We are such obliging parents......off we zoomed over the hill to Devon to the Rousden Boot...always full, good for a spot of china, and rainbow Magic books!

I have been ever so good of late, and only succumbed to a few bits and bobs ( I am aware of Mr.Q's voice echoing in my ear..." for every new treasure in the house...one must go!" )...so I avoided eye contact with a pretty woodland oil painting, touched and ahhhhhhed at an old black first aid metal box then popped it down, BUT even the Q couldn't resist what we saw....he did a good deal on it too....

A mini belfast sink, presumably used in a lab or a school......the lady wanted £10, but Q got it for £7.50......pretty good I thought eh?

For a while we have wanted one, to go under the outside tap for the bumblebee's to use washing hands, boots....etc...but thought a full sized one would be too big ( in true Somerset style, the neighbours have right of way behind our house )....so this mini version is perfect!

Right then, this whole de-cluttering has got me thinking, perhaps I have too much stuff??????? My dresser has caught my attention...is it too much? I quite like the hap hazardness of it all, but maybe I need some clutter treasure control......

The dresser we found on that super on-line auction site.....in all its mahogany glory......bit of left over Farrow and Ball soon sorted it out, plus some left over wallpaper from our old house too....

 A little bit of handmade bunting, kiddie creations, treasures, a string of flower lights from my little sis, hummmmm I'm just not sure, I do tend to over think things...too many cups? More colour needed? take it all off and start again?...............

xxxxx

P.S Thankyou for some lovely comments of late, it's so lovely to see some newbies, and I love reading comments.

xx

My Goodness........x

More surprises!!!!!!!!! My goodness..........

I love it when the postman comes.........I love receiving post, most days though...we all have those annoying sofa or energy efficient companies sending their dreadful flyers or letters about.......but there are worse days......when the bills start coming - these are addressed to Mr.Q for good reason....I don't go near them!!

But some days a letter will come, or a card from a far away friend or relative which brightens my day.

Yesterday however...ta daaaaaaa .............my bestest friend had sent me a parcel!!! Super exciting, I nearly forgot to grab the camera...

Now one thing I need to tell you about my bestest is....she is a very clever thing, she makes and sews and pretties everything up. She runs her own little making business called Casper Greens, and if you are ever in the area of  Sussex, I am sure you will come across some of her lovely children's gift and wears in shops there.

Oooooohhhh I say!!! Floral clip on earrings, make up bag/purse, vintage jug and brooch, Alice n Wonderland pencil tin........ooooohhhhhh such wonders......shall I continue????......................

Now this little lovely is called Annabel, and Annabel had a frightful journey to her new home, she arrived feeling quite queasy and dizzy, so she decided that a good look around to stretch her legs is what she needed......

Just look where I found her next.......

All snuggled, with a smile on her face..........

She truly is a poppet. Her fabrics are lovely, she even has little laces on her shoes....rosy cheeks......

I feel utterly spoilt rotten, and thankful for such a perfectly creative best friend.

I am sure, Casper Greens would love to make you your own custom made doll too........please do contact me and I can forward your interest onwards.........but I warn you.....these dollies are quite cheeky and play hide and seek often, I have hunted high and low this morning finding Annabel, only to find her snuggled asleep in biggest bumblebee bed! Fancy that! xxxxx

Two surprises and a sprinkle of appreciation.....x

Us mummies do seem to be busy bees especially right now, with the end of term dangling like a carrot in front of us. So it was lovely, yesterday morning to have an unexpected chit chat with a pal. She bought cakes with her ( one of the reasons she is infact a pal!! ) and we drank tea and chattered about all sort of terribly important things.....but we also had a birthday swap. Both being June babies......I unwrapped the cutest little felt cottage, which is a pin cushion AND a tape measure ( pull the front door!!! ) soooo sweet I am in love with it!!!

That was surprise No.1

Surprise No.2 happened when I picked the bumblebee's up from school. A little chap from class.1. found me and presented me with roses, a huge thankyou card and a little pressie!!!! Awwwww those little kiddies are so cute, it's all for my helping out each week with swimming......

But it's the notes the children wrote that got to me......what ARE they trying to do to me?!! A tired mummy, end of term madness had begun a long time ago ( you know the sorts of things I am talking about...little mistakes, putting the dog food in the fridge, trying to boil a kettle that hasn't been switched on...wearing cardigans inside out ).......

Sometimes, it's just so nice to be appreciated. A card would have done, but I am so grateful for my bits......

The bumblebee's have a WW2 lunch party today....many a child is dressed as an evacuee, sandwiches were made, homemade cakes too..... knee high socks and flat caps were abundant......what fun they will all have!

Big bumblebee also has her drama performance after school, and a friend coming for tea....is it no wonder then, that I wear my cardigan's inside out??!!!!!

xxxx