Jar of Love swap goodies.

Hello Ladies.

Just a quick one today. Lots of pictures I'm aware and not a lot of words.

I should have posted this before now so sorry about the delay.

Anyway ...

Because of the odd number of entrants to the swap I had two partners.

Marina at Evelyn-May and Beki @ Ramblings of an Everyday Mummy

Here is what I sent Marina ....

I tried to make both jars equal, so each had 26 items inside. I had read that Marina liked toadstools so had made her these little toadstool earrings and bag charm. There was a few Cath Kidston goodies in there: a keyring, soap, buttons. I made a tiny heart hanger with birdie embroidery and crocheted a pot cover to decorate the jar.

This is Beki's jar ...

Again a little more Cath Kidston. I made some button earrings and a ring too. The little cupcake charm I made out of Fimo. I notice she liked Hello Kitty so when I saw these magnets I thought they would be perfect. Again I crocheted her a pot cover for the jar.

This is what I received from Marina.

A pretty jar, wonderfully wrapped and finished with a pretty bow.

There was cupcake cases, fabric, perfume, hankies, teddy, socks, necklace, cookie cutter, lace, glitter, beads and chocolate inside (the choccy didn't live long enough to make it in the photo) !!!

Thank you Marina!!!

I am yet to receive a parcel from Beki, but if I do. I will be sure to share it with you.

Have a great weekend.

Love Katie

xxx

From Shabby to Chic #5 - The dresser gets it!

Let me introduce my dresser ...

She has been with us for a couple of years, brought from Ebay for a steal of course.

She's big, practical (you can only imagine the junk hid away inside!) but not very pretty.

I have been wanting to give her a makeover for sometime. I kept putting it off knowing it would be a big job.

But now I've finally done it...

Before

and

 After

.... aahhhhh .... that's better!

No more ginger varnish, no more faux metal handles!

Still as big and practical but pretty to boot!

What do you think?

It was a bit of a team effort, I had roped my reluctant Husband in to dismantle her and lay the sheets down for painting.

(I promised him a lie in, in return for his services.)

Using Annie Sloan Old White, I gave her two coats, then my Husband offered to take the top to the workshop and sand off all the gingery varnish! Who am I to refuse such an offer?!?

He returned home a few hours later with not only a beautifully buffed and waxed top but 6 little draw knobs too. (Do you think I owe him another lie in now?)

After spending what seemed like an age waxing the paint work (I wish he offered to do that too!).

She was finished and ready to be reassembled.

Pleased as punch with the results.

Thanks for reading ladies.

Love Katie

xxx

Lavender - ing ....

Last Sunday I spend most of the day soaking up the sunshine in the garden.

Exactly that's very rare for me indeed as the sun and I are lifelong enemies. But for one day we called a truce, he would not burn me and I would not shake my fist with rage at him.

I was desperate to get in the garden and "harvest" my Lavender.

All year I wait for the sweet scent wafting in the window and as soon as I smell it I get out there and snip it all off! (leaving some for the bees of course.)

Usually after each harvest I bunch it up and hang it all over the house to dry, but this year I had other plans.

I had pinched a book from my Mum, Garlands, Circles and Decorative Wreaths.

Such a wonderful book with lots of lovely ideas for decorations to make with goodies from the garden.

She had already bookmarked the lavender pages and I was drawn to the pretty Lavender wreaths.

So last Sunday this is what I did. I sat outside (slathered in factor 50) by my Lavender bush, trimming off the stems as I needed them. The book called for dried lavender, but to me that sounded too messy and I wanted the stems to curve around the wreath and I went. So I figured the fresher the better.

The lavender could dry once "wreathed" and I would be spared the job of cleaning up all the dropped flowers.

I survived the sun, made one large wreath that now hangs in my bathroom and two small one to dot elsewhere around the house. When the lavender is "passed best" next year I will take it off and wide some fresh stems on.

I felt very content "wreathing" my lavender in the garden.

What do you do with yours?

Happy weekend Ladies!

Love Katie

xxx

Jar of Love Competition winner ...

Firstly let me say a huge "Thank You!" to every one that entered the competition.

I have had great fun reading all your lists and marveling at your pictures.

Every one has tried so hard and has done a great job.

If I could, I would send you all a prize!!!

Any way, In no particular order here are the entrants.

Faye @ Cartwheels & Bubbles - 19

Estelle @ Twinkles, Tutorials and Twirls - 14

Amanda @ Callaway's Creations - 46

Shelley @ All4MeggyMoo - 16

Haylie @ Rubie Magpie - 14

Eileen @ In My Playroom - 21

Gill @ Dosie Rosie - 16

Victoria @ Tangled Sweetpea - 9

Sandi @ SandiArt - 25

I'm sure you can see for yourself who the winner is!

Amanda @ Callaway's Creations!

Well done Amanda, I will get your prize in the post!

Love Katie xxx

The 2nd sculpture

You may have read my post about the workshop I went to with Dad if not you can read it here.

I had got the Paverpol bug, after attending the workshop and having such a great time.

So I brought some to take home and make some more

and here is what I've done so far.

(She lives on the bookshelf, but the pictures kept coming out to dark so she's posing on the cupboard for now.)

She is made in the same bronze colour as my first attempt.

For her gown I used part of an old cotton duvet cover that had some pretty embroidery along the edge.

(this doesn't seem to show up to well in the pictures.)

Her nightie was made from an off cut of broderie anglaise and her hair was wool off cuts.

She was quiet a lot fiddlier than my first attempt, because she's sitting and it was difficult to get the fabric to hang right and stay in place.

But I got there in the end.

She was given a second coat of bronze to brighten her up and viola!

Shelley had asked me to post a final picture of the first attempt once she was totally finished.

Again my photo is awful, but here she is. She lives in the bathroom. The colour finish is hard to see here, but she is the same as the figure above.

Thanks for dropping by.

Love Katie

xxx

One Sunny Saturday ....

One sunny Saturday Katie and Charlie went on a picnic to Felbrigg Hall.

Felbrigg Hall was one of Katie's favourite National Trust houses.

Togged up in shorts, sun hat and copious amount of sun cream, Charlie gallivanted around the gardens.

He chased chickens, raked grass, hid in the willow tunnel and took his favourite cars for a ride in a wheel barrow.

After having so much fun, Charlie was exhausted. 

"An ice-cream would do the trick", Katie thought.

He licked, slurped and dropped his ice-cream but above all Charlie enjoyed it.

In the car, Charlie slept and awoke in a strange place.

His expression was curious and anxious.

But this place wasn't scary.

They'd arrived at a new home.

But whose home was this to be?

His face relaxed and anxiety melted away as he was greeted by a friendly face.

His Auntie Tina.

The End.

xx

Brightening up wash day ....

Well as the weather hasn't been on our side, I had to find another way to brighten up wash day...

I have been in need of a new peg bag for ages.

My ugly plastic thing made me cringe every time I hung it on the line.

I was making this Cath Kidston bag using the free kit in "Sew" when I unexpectedly acquired two free Cath Kidston handbags! Did I never tell you about that?!? How jammy am I, I couldn't believe my luck!

Any way, that meant this one was sort of surplus to requirement, so I decided it would be my new peg bag.

The entire bag was hand sewn, including buttonholes and every thing.

Because the handle fastens with buttons, I can undo one and fasten it over the washing line or wear the bag so all my pegs are to hand.

And of course, once I had my new peg bag, the ghastly plastic pegs had to go and have since been replaced by nice wooden ones (cheap as chips in the £1 shop!)

Well after I had a pretty home for my pegs that went rather well with my floral laundry basket (perhaps I show you that another time) I turned my attention to the ironing board.

I snapped up this cute cover in Matalan for the bargain price of £3 , well actually I didn't even pay that as I had a voucher code for 30% off!

So the weather can do what it wants, because my florals will brighten up wash day!

I'll leave you with another little drawstring bag I made to go in the bathroom.

They are so easy to make and so useful for storage. I can't get enough.

Also hanging in my bathroom is my "new" vintage summer dressing gown - £3.50 at the charity shop. :-)

How are you brightening up wash day?!?!

Lots of Love

Katie

xxx