Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween All

Here is my home grown pumpkin carved by my lovely man.

Have a Good one.

Love

Truly Amazing Pumkins

I'm a great fan of this time of year, especially Halloween because it means Pumpkin time.

I have grown my own pumpkin this year and Gav & I will carve it this week ready for Saturday night.

Whilst out on a volunteering trip with work to the National Trust in Slindon this week we passed the most amazing Pumpkin display. It was so amazing on the way back, I stopped the car and went to have a look.

The display was at a the Slindon Pumpkin Festival, from a farm that is on the National Trust land.

I was truly amazed and soo excited to see the display.

It attracts thousands of visitors every year from all over the world.

I have never seen so many different types of pumpkins & squashes.

They sell all the pumpkins and squashes, unfortunately I had no cash on me so I couldn't get anything but next year I there and I will be getting lots of Pumpkins!!

Hope you've had a lovely weekend and that you have a wonderful week.

Love

Swap Tastic

I have recently caught the SWAP bug and am currently sighned up to three.

(Plus my PIF which I need to get a wiggle on with!! Sorry Girls)

1. Contented's Paper Bag Swap - This swap involves sending your partner 2 Fat Quaters of your choice, thread, embroydery silks and trimmings in a paper bag. You then make something for your partner out of the chosen fabrics, trimmings etc and send it back to her. I am partnered with Katy from I'm a Ginger Monkey, we have exchanged paper bags and I am now in the throughs of deciding what to make.


2. Beki's Christmas Stocking Swap - We will be given a partner then we have to make or buy a small stocking and fill with traditional gifts weather they be handmade, bought or thrifted. Should be fun. I am partnered with Vanessa from Coco Rose Textiles, yippie.



3. The lovely Victoria of Florence & Mary & the wonderful Kelly of Kelly's Recipes for life have come together and created the Secret Santa Swap. Each Blogger that signs up will receive a gift from a Blogger, but will send a gift to a different Blogger. Just like Secret Santa at work. So if you fancy signing up there is still time untill the 11th November 09.

So if you fancy swapping click on the links to join in we might end up swapping.

Love

Showing You My Cath....

Hello fellow CK lovers, Sorry I'm a bit late in the day with my Show Us Your Cath post.

Thanks Lissy Lou for suggesting we all join together and post about CK.

Here are my few CK items.

Tea Towels have become quite addictive recently, so I have 4 CK one for display purposes only.

I also have the Red Stencil First Aid Tin and it sits on my kitchen shelf keeping all the important things safe encase of emergency's.

I now enjoy ironing a lot more since I got my CK Ironing Bord cover.

My new mug collection is growing, since my visit last week.

I also have some Gardening gloves, but they are in the shed currently so sorry no photo.

And of course my new fabric, but that's for makes not for keeps.

I have the Make Book, & the cute little flower pot pin cushion too.

Have a great Friday

Love

Brighton Rocks!!!

Ohh what a fun day I had yesterday.

Early start, up at 8am out by 9am in Brighton for Bill's Breakfast by 9.45am.

Yummy breakfast if your ever in Brighton try and make a visit to Bill's.

It started in Lewes and then became a soo popular that they opened in Brighton.

It's a cafe within a fresh produce store, right in the heart of the North Lanes.

It had a great atmosphere and really set Gem & I up for our shopping trip.

So I had heard on the grape vine that there was a CK in the South Lanes, so obviously I went in search of the mecca and was pleased to spot the baby blue facade glinting at me from a distance.

Gem and I anxiously waited for the clock to chime 11am when the doors to the inner sanctum would open. Obviously I took some photos of the windows which were beautifully merchandised as usual.

Once in it is like a tardis with nooks and cranny's galore full of loveliness.

I purchased a Blue stencil mug for my CK mug collection, I have decided that as I don't get to a CK that often I will treat myself to a mug each time I am there. I also got some fabric which was on sale bargain! At the till the sales consultant told us about a crafting event they are holding on Thursday 22nd October in the evening in aid of Maire Curie. Only £5 but unfortunately I am busy, I have put my name down for any future events though as they are talking of making Craft evenings a regular event. Great Idea me thinks.

So off we went up to the main shops, me swinging my CK bag and Gem marching in search of more shops. I had one other mission for Brighton, a fabric shop right at the other end of the main high street. Bargains galore, lots of pretty fabrics at great prices.

My stash got considerably bigger!!!

Lots of crafting has been done in preparation for the fair, eek must make more stuff!!! more about that later this week.

So the start of a new week is here, Monday is over and only 4 more days until the weekend.

Enjoy your week, mine is hectic as usual.

Love

P.S If anyone fancies meeting for a day out in Brighton let me know xxxx

Make A Splash....................

What a lovely surprise I had when I clicked into my emails on Sunday night, I had been given the "Splash Award" by the Wonderful Kelly of Kelly's Recipes For Life.

She has a fabulous blog and always has something lovely to say.

I am most honoured, Thank You Kelly xxx

The Splash Award is given to "alluring, amusing, inspiring, bewitching, and impressive blogs"

Rules are:
1. Post the award on your blog.

2. Nominate up to 9 blogs.

3. Let your nominees know they've won!

4. Link back to the person who gave it to you!

Now I must do the do................

Vanessa From Coco Rose Textiles

Rose From Victoria Rose Crafts

Margie From Margie's Crafts

Pomona From Little Cottage Comforts

Victoria From Florence & Mary

Beki From The Ramblings of an Every Day Mummy

It is soo hard to choose from all the wonderful blogs I read and the comments you all leave mean a lot to me. It makes me smile soo much when I open my email and I have a comment from one of you lovely people.

Thank you again Kelly you are a great friend.

So have a fun week, Love Sophie xxx

First Craft Fair Officially Booked

Well lovely people, I have bitten the bullet and booked into my first Christmas Craft Fair!

I am very Excited, Saturday the 5th December is the day and boy do I need to start making.

So this weekend amongst other weekend duties I have been making Christmas Tree Decorations. Little Red fabric hearts with gold stars all over them. I just have to add little gold bows to each heart now.

I'm quite pleased with the shape, Hearts can be tricky things to make and it took me a few goes to get them right.

I have decided to make 10 of each of my designs for the fair, pin cushions, needle cases, make up pouches, tree decorations, glasses cases, tooth fairy bags, Christmas cards etc. I think I will also make some bunting with children's names on it.

Any top tips you guys have would be most welcome, as I am a novice at this type of thing.

I have been stocking up on fabric and have quite a stash now!!!

I have had a parcel of something arrive every day lately.

One of my favourites was a bundle of cupcake fabric I got off Ebay it had a piece of fabric in it that I have been desperately trying to get hold of for ages, It says I like to eat cup cakes every day on it..... Love it.

Today I had some east of India ribbons turn up today, I found them on a website called Eden247, they were all on special offer. Bargain.

Well off the subject of fabric and on to the weather.............

Have you noticed that the weather seems to have changed the last few weeks, lovely and warm in the days but chilly at night! well we decided that it was time to use the lovely fireplace we had fitted back in June. It is glorious, and really warms the sitting room nicely in the evenings. We are trying to leave the switching on of the central heating until the very last moment with the energy prices as they are at the moment.

Well I hope you all had a lovely weekend, for any of those CK lovers out there I hope you read the Mail on Sundays magazine yesterday with the free stencils and patterns in it, If not do not fear I have a link for you here.

Enjoy your week, Love Sophie xxxxx

Blog Sweet Blog

Firstly I just want to say sorry I've been away from blog land for so long, nearly 2 weeks I think. Ouch, too long sorry sorry sorry.

Since we have gone into peak at work and I started my new job I have been feeling unable to write when I get home, as I said before trolley full and overflowing.

But hopefully that has passed and I will be back on form from now on.

I have soo much to tell you, It has been a busy few days (11 to be exact).

So I went to the lovely seaside town of Felixstowe for a few days for Mum's birthday, lots of wine was consumed for the celebration, champagne breakfast with scrambled eggs & smoked salmon yummy, dinner out at a fab restaurant and family roast dinner! wow I think I put on a few pounds last weekend.

I also managed to fit in some shopping, firstly the wonderful Fabric8 shop, then the great little quilting shop that has opened up. Steadily building up my stash!! And got my fat quarters for the paper bag swap being held by Rachel at Contented.

I'm also very lucky to have a lovely Auntie who has a crafting business, as she sent me all her scraps from her last season on making.

She makes beautiful kitchen ranges, cafetiere covers, tea cosies, Aga towels just a few of her wonderful range.

The weather was wonderful, Mum & I spent a lovely sunny Sunday down at the seafront market which we topped off with a lunch of Ice cream at the Little Ice Cream Company. I had a Sunday of Candy Store and Black Cherry mmmmmmmmm, Mum had raspberry crumble in a cone.

So I'm home now and life goes on, I have had a few crafty moments.

I have had fun!!! making a cosmetic purse, a couple of attempts were needed. The Zipper did try and get the better of me but I persevered and I am quite proud of my attempt.

I have also made a passport cover which I may add to my craft range for when I either set up shop on Etsy or book my first craft fair.

Also made my second Hummingbird recipe Vanilla Cupcakes, I made 23 odd number I know not sure how I missed out the 24th but somehow I did, loving my new piping set.

Our pear tree has finally had enough and we had a slight fatality, Gav came home to find 2 branches snapped off they were really full with pears so I have been giving pears out to anyone who wants them, today I made pears in brandy which I have bottled for Christmas.

So my lovely blogging friends, sorry I've been away but I think I might be back now.

Have a lovely weekend, Oh and before I forget if your out and about you might want to pick up a copy of Novembers Easy Living as you get a lovely free tea towel with it.

Love Sophie xxxxx