The Good Life

 Having got up at 4.30 to see The Lovely Husband off on a business trip and feed the yowling animals, I decided there wasn't much point in going back to bed, especially as I could see it was going to be a cracking good sunrise followed by a beautiful day. So I pottered around in the garden and took a few photos in the morning light. Okay a lot of photos. For those of you not much interested in gardens, scroll through quickly, there are some crafty bits at the end...

 A miniature climbing rose I have recently planted, so pretty!

 The neighbours having breakfast...

 My 'cuttings nursery'...

 My husband has a thing for gnomes. And rugby...

 Everything is sprouting!

And now for a few crafty bits that have come into being recently.

 The Ultimate Potplant for The Husband's office desk. No watering required, and doubles as a missile when people bother him...

 This is the sharp end of a ferret, which my son requested, for reasons known only to himself and possibly others from his home planet...

 Some knitted fruit, which look slightly healthier than those bananas. I was so thrilled when I found the pattern book in the library that I actually made Noises Out Loud....would you believe the banana pattern has a ZIP-UP-SKIN?!!

 That's a normal-sized egg, from one of my normal-sized chooks. And that little mini-chook took me a WHOLE EVENING to knit, sew and assemble!

 I had visions of making lots, but now I'm not so sure...

 Finally, I have to share with you this Splendid Chap, made for me by my Lovely Friend Tracey as a thank you for making her daughter an owl bag.

Isn't he wonderful? Making tea is so much more fun when it's kept warm under a cheerful chicken!!

I hope the sun is smiling down on you today too.

xxxxx

Happy New Year's Crafting!

Here we are with a whole brand new year ahead of us, full of promise and potential for crafting and creating...it's so exciting! I'm bursting with bright ideas and inspiration, and my sketchbook is filling up with lists and doodles and designs.

I have to share two of my favourite makings over Christmas. The first is some mini-bunting I crocheted for my very special friend Kate, and I'm thrilled to see it hung over her kitchen window.

We share a healthy obsession with bunting, and think it should adorn just about everything!

And this is a mohair shawl I crocheted for my Grandmother's 95th birthday. Over the years she has crocheted hundreds of blankets for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren - in fact I still have the blanket she made for me when I was five, as well as a new one she made for me last year! I thought it was about time someone crocheted a special blanket for her.

I have this dear woman to thank for teaching me many life skills, including knitting and crochet!

During the brief spells of dry weather I have been tarting up my garden, adding a bit of colour amongst all the green. I am a bit addicted to geraniums, so lots of those are going in!

Are hanging baskets a sign of impending old age?

I had to have that wine-red geranium!

I hadn't realized how long my teenager has been away until I found all this growing on her car! I had better clean it up (she hates spiders), and take it for a run (the car not the spider) before she gets home...

Finally, a fun game I've decided to play every month or two is "What's On My Bedside Table?" I really do keep a lot of useful junk on that handy surface, and it seems to be quite a good way to see what my creative wee self is up to at any given time.

At the moment the immediate object to hand is my new 2012 diary, in which I am frantically jotting birthdays, school dates, things to do, ideas and general scribblings.

A few books I am reading, including The Big Book of Top Gear..., two coffee mugs with bits of crochet, a bottle of Anais Anais perfume, some toys belonging to various children, a crocheted scarf, and a bowl of Things-That-Belong-Elsewhere....

It will be interesting to see what's cluttering the table next time!

Happy New Year and Happy Crafting!

Dominique xxx