Lovely little finds and a trip up North!

I am a huge fan of Mollie Clarke books.I think I've mentioned this before!

I love simplicity and I suppose that's it about these books.

This one is no exception, 'The Red Spot Books'.

I love red and white, be it spots or gingham.

Another recent bargain was ..

The gingham hexagons caught my eye!

Nice and simple to follow.

As was this...

And as you can spy, I've also been to a supermarket which I don't normally frequent... but needs must! ;-)

I'm going a little further afield than that, very soon ...(she, who normally does not set foot out of Devon that often!) so this is going to be a real treat!! ;-)

YORK!!

And what's the first thing that enters your head when you hear the word 'York', I wonder..and would love to know!! ;-)

We're doing the Railway Museum, Jorvik, The City Walls, York Minster,The Shambles etc...and of course CK (just for me!)

And , oh my, you will never believe this; this is the most amazing coincidence ever..on Saturday afternoon we will be 'taking a break' (!) at the 'Kit Kat Crescent', Bootham to watch a football match!

Not just any old football match either!

York City v Torquay United!! ;-)

After all of that, I am beside myself with excitement and will have to lie down, to recover!!

If you know York (because I don't!) and can recommend anywhere ..tea rooms,coffee shops,places to eat, side streets with querky shops..please let me know!!

Thank you!!

I hope your weekend is a real good one!

I think mine will be! ;-)

Photography B.A. (HONS) ;-)

This morning I invited some 'Guinea Pigs' to my kitchen, to act as would be customers/critics.

I had set up my table...a practice run ...for the forthcoming Vintage & Handmade fair.

But no matter how hard I tried, could I take some fab photos ?!!Oh no!

Disaster!

'Not colourful!' they muttered.

'Too swirly'...they complained.

'Too much blue,' they moaned.

'Too much glare,' they shrieked

'Not very interesting at all,' they agreed.

'Badly out of focus,' they joked.

So I tried taking the photos through the blinds...no good!

I picked up everything, screwed it into a large ball and threw it into the air, in exasperation!

Things were getting fraught....!

I was in a tizz!

So I rolled it all up.

And packed it all away neatly...for another day!

Damn that fair!

Lets hope it all looks better on the day!

(With grateful thanks to Paint Shop Pro...and also Kitty,who told me how to do the multi pics! ;-) LOL!

Look !! Competition Giveaway!

Well... after the excitement on Friday, it really is back to normal now..if there ever was normal in this house!

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email, out of the blue, from someone who I got to know about 7 years ago. Then we lost touch when she moved a little further afield.


Now she is back in the area and she stumbled across my blog, whilst looking for crafty 'goings ons' in good old Newton Abbot, so decided to get in touch.

I love surprises and found myself not only saying 'come for coffee' but also ' come and do some crafting' !!!


Do you ever says things like that and then panic?! Not the coffee bit...the crafting!

Enter the Sizzix Machine! It saved my day!



I am lucky enough to own one and in all honesty I don't use it enough.




Not long ago, my daughter passed on masses of craft items to me and this included a lot of Sizzix dies ; I am now well equipped in that department!!

Problem solved. I got out the Sizzix and we made...





Tag Albums


Since then, I have made a few more!

Simple, effective and lovely for a gift, either with or without photos.

And now for the Christmas Giveaway!!

All you have to do is guess the Christian name of my crafting friend...it is as easy as that!! ;-)

(A clue: it is a name of English origin...and nothing whacky, extreme or out of the ordinary!)

You have until Tuesday 18th and I'll announce the winner on Weds 19th.

Here's the prize:

GOOD LUCK!

Time to Reflect

In Flanders' Fields

In Flanders' fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place: and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing,fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders' fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high,

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders' Fields.

John McCrae, 1915.

Yesterday, The Arsenal's match against Manchester United honoured those servicemen and women who gave their lives for peace.

Arsenal players wore a special one-off shirt with a poppy embroidered into their red and white home kit.

Following the match, the shirts will be signed by each player and auctioned and raffled in aid of these two organisations that support servicemen and women and their families: The Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes.

Chris Simpkins, Director General of The Royal British Legion, said: "Once again we are most grateful for the support of Arsenal Football Club and its loyal supporters. As the national custodian of Remembrance, we are delighted that players and fans will stand shoulder-to-shoulder in a silent moment of tribute and reflection. As an Armed Forces charity, we will ensure the funds raised help to support Armed Forces past and present, and their families.

" Bryn Parry, Co founder of Help for Heroes said: “This is a wonderful idea and we are so grateful to Arsenal for their support. Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal are working closely together to ensure that, especially at this time of year, we remember those who have died as well as fundraise to care for those who have been wounded in the service of our country. The association with sport and with football in particular, will strike a chord with our servicemen and women who will gain strength from knowing they are being supported by the Gunners.”

A very nice touch.

As is this poem :

http://nichgull.spaces.live.com/