Happy new year and a giveaway!

I would just like to wish all my followers and new friends in blogland a happy new year and tell you about a great new year giveaway thats going on in blogland straystitches1.blogspot.com there's 2 great way's to enter this fab giveaway and the chance to win a pattern and around 7 1/2 yards of fabric.So pop over and check it out at the above link.

Christmas day!

 I have a real mix of photo's to show you for my christmas day!First of all Hamish's first christmas that he really understands and looking at this photo he appear's a little overwhelmed.

 Alice un-wrapping one of her present's from santa in between coughing!Bless her she has a chest infection.

 Hamish proudly showing the cuddly toy pig he got from santa.

 And this is what mummy got from the BQL secret santa swap some lovely quilty goodies to enjoy!

 And this was my secret santa swap gift that I made for my swap partner,a lovely quilted cosmetic's bag.

 With satin ribbon and glass bead's on the zip closure.

 I tried to get a picture of the spotty lining to show you but it didn't come out to well,the photo that is.

And then lastly a lavender heart pouch to go inside the bag made with home grown lavender that we cut and dried at the end of the summer.I hope you've all had a lovely christmas day xx

A little sewing!

Gosh!The weather has been very cold,but today hasn't been as cold or I'm getting used to it.Here's what I've been up to,I finished making this tractor cushion today for my friend's little boy for christmas,he is tractor crazy!I'm really pleased with how it's turned out so I thought I'd share it with you!

 A snap shot of our lovely tree.It's been quite a busy day today firstly I finished that cushion,then I went dog walking and then this evening I went with Hamish and our neighbour up to see her pony.Hamish absolutely loved it he had a little ride up and down,and helped brush her and feed her.Earlier today my mum and dad called round with our christmas present an oven ready locally reared goose for christmas day.We're all set for christmas now just a few last minute bits to get tomorrow.I hope your all ready?I'm sooo excited now it's getting nearer,I won't be able to sleep!!

A lovely surprise!

 What a lovely surprise!This beautiful table runner came in th post last week all the way from NZ among other things was a tasty bar of chocolate,some little strawberry patchwork gift bags for the kids and some patchwork magazines.What more could a girl want for christmas!I just wanted to say a very big thank you to Michelle over at Michelle's patch for her beautiful gift's and to show that I am making very good use of that gorgeous table runner I just love and adore the colours,and my neighbour admired it too!

 Gosh!The weather has been really bitterly cold here for the last week and here are some fab cobweb's on the kid's wendy house that I just wanted to share with you.

Yesterday was very murky and misty only brightened by the brilliant white coating on all the tree's.I'm almost set for christmas now just one or two little presents to finish off.I shall very shortly be posting as promised my Cath Kidston scrap bag giveaway!

While it's snowing I'm sewing!

 Yesterday we decided to have tomatoe soup for lunch to warm ourselves up with all this snow we've been having!

 And whilst it's been snowing I've been busy sewing and a little crochet.I decided given that it's been really cold and I noticed a draught under the front door more than usual.I thought I'd make a draft excluder for the front door in a navy blue felted/woollen style fabric and then I thought thats a bit plain and boring I'll cheer it up a little with a few crochet flowers and button's and tah dah!Here it is.

And then out of a few of those yummy Cath Kidston scrap's I made myself this cute little make-up bag as mine is looking a little old and tired.

Snow,Snow & more Snow!

 Well for once the weather man actually got the forecast right!And this is the view of our garden from the kitchen window a SNOW BLIZZARD!
Or at least that is what it has seemed like at times as it has snowed on and off all day.

 I reckon in the last few day's we've had between 4" and 5",and I have to say I think perhaps winter or at least the snow is becoming one of my favourite season's,I went for a walk this afternoon up to the main road and there's just something so clean and fresh about it and something quite naked too!
All the tree's bare without there leave's and the crisp clean white coating on everything and then the brilliant bright sunshine and a faint glimmer of a rainbow across the dark grey threatening and distant sky!

 And I just love the view across the flat starkly bare fen's of the telegraph wire's with bird's dotted on them and then I think DAM!I wish I'd brought my camera along for the walk so I could have shared the view with you all.Maybe tomorrow hay?

Let it snow!

 This is a view from our front door this morning,it has been snowing on and off all day and we've had a good few inches.I didn't send Alice to school,thankfully as they sent all the children home early anyway.

 A short break in the snow blizzard,but we are forecast more snowfall tonight and tomorrow.I took Alice and Hamish for a sledge ride earlier in between snow shower's.And Alice and her school chum freddie made snow angel's,and we threw a few snowball's.

 This is what we got up to on saturday Hamish and Alice decided they wanted to do some painting,we used sponge's,and cotton wool bud's and toilet roll's to make pattern's.And they borrowed a couple of daddies old t-shirt's to paint in!

 Alice won a christmas card design competition at school and her prize was a craft kit of pom pom's and ribbon's and sequin's and pipe cleaner's.And here is just a little something she decided to make,she tell's me it's a christmas decoration for the tree!

Thinking of a giveaway!

I am fast approaching my 100th post my my blog and I'm thinking of having a giveaway perhaps with a Cath Kidston theme,how do we all feel about a Cath kidston fabric scraps bag and a couple of fat quarters?

Your thought's on this idea please!Hands up for those of you who fancy getting there hand's on some Cath kidston fabric??This proposed giveaway will be drawn by my lovely assistant Hamish pictured above with his lovely guinea pig nibble's!

Am I too late for FNSI?

Am I too late to post for the friday night sew in?
Better late than never I guess!I had a rather productive evening.Sadly I cannot post picture's of everything as one of them is part  of a secret santa swap for bql,I promise I shall post some picture's after christmas of the swap,which I must say I am rather pleased with (smile!).I finished sewing together Hamish's woolley hat that I'm making him for christmas now all I need to do is make a pom pom for the top and then I shall post a picture of it,watch this space!

Then I made myself a note book cover out of yummy Cath Kidston scrap's it is un-finished but you get the idea and I can't wait to get it done!
I just love and adore her fabric's.Hmmm I might just have to treat myself to some more of those delicious fabric's now I've used up some of those scrap's.

And all of this couldn't have been achieved without a lovely slice of DH's yummy chocolate cake just to keep my strength up!Lol!

Our weekend in brief

 This my/our weekend in brief!Friday afternoon Alice came home from school and decided she wanted to learn how to knit I tried to show her and then DH had a go at teaching her,it's the quietest we've ever known her!

 I did a little sewing on sunday afternoon which I can't show you as it's for my secret santa giveaway!Skip to sunday evening Alice and Hamish having a drink of milk before bedtime!

I hope you all had a good weekend and that you maybe managed a little more stitching than me?

Friday night sew in!

http://handmadebyheidi.blogspot.com/

Will you be joining Bobbi and Heidi for November's friday night sew in?I will be I'm not quite sure what I will be stitching maybe Hamish's quilt or perhaps a little crochet handbag for Alice for christmas,she seem's to be handbag crazy at the moment and I must admit she now probably has more bags than me!Shocking I know,maybe I should be making myself another handbag to catch up with the 5 year old fashion addict!Lol!
So come on and join us and follow the link above.

Some baking & a finish!!

 My lovely scrummy deliciously cute assistant Hamish,couldn't you just eat him all up?

 Our lovely bread that didn't even get time to go cold before it was attacked not much chance of any of it making it into the freezer for later in the week!

 And my beautiful bit of spring cheer the crochet spring wreath which may I confess was not my idea it came from lucy at attic24,the only difference is the flowers they are of my own design but the whole concept is Lucy's and isn't it just fab soo vibrant and cheerful.A little bit of spring cheer in the depths of winter!Oh yummy-licious I just love IT!!

Wet monday!

What a wet and windy grey start to the week greeted us this morning as I walked Alice to the school bus,I was only out in it for 20 minutes but by the time I got in from the wind I had ear ache!And this afternoon before going to meet her off the bus we dug around in the cupboard for woolly hats,scarves and gloves and my lovely winter coat that is like a big cuddly duvet.I don't buy into the looking good is more important than being warm business of not wrapping up!But just to spread a little end of summer,winter is truly on the it's way cheer here are some picture's of DH's very beautiful dalhia's from the end of the summer one of which I might add is still flowering in november,not for long I fear!
This last one being one of my favourite's!

Trick or treat!!

Alice and Hamish all dressed up for trick or treating don't they look sweet I just had to share it with you Happy halloween!

 And we carved a pumpkin with DH.

 Oooh and I've finished Hamish's chunky cross stitch cushion for christmas and I took a picture of the back too so you can have a good look at the over all effect.So all in all today I'm feeling rather pleased with myself.



Where have I been?

Firstly can I say sorry to everyone who follows my blog and was expecting me to announce a craft book giveaway this week I promise I shall be announcing one this monday.Life has been a little hectic this week the children on half term and to be quite honest I've been having a little bit of an off week where I just seem to have lost my bounce and bubble,I'm sure you know what I mean when I say those day's where you just don't feel like doing much of anything!But hay-ho I'm back now and boy have I been busy in the last 2 days!

Firstly last night as promised I took Alice to her halloween school disco!

Then this morning I got up and decided to bake some bread with Alice and Hamish!

 And what a lovely bright and breezy autumn day it turned out to be here on the Lincolnshire fens.

 Picture's of my neighbours lovely cherry blossom tree that hangs over our fence,such gorgeous colours and very pretty in full blossom too!She say's it looks far better from our side of the fence.

 And finally the last of DH's beautiful dahlia's still blooming well for this time of year.