It's all happening in the garden...and I'm off to Saltaire

I always get very excited at the first sign of growth in our little veggie garden. With the warmth of this week and a few April showers the mangetout peas have started to show in their pots

and the rocket has shot up nicely!

You will see that I have a piece of netting over the seeds (and other obstacles and contraptions that you cannot see) - not to stop birds or wild animals, but to stop this pesky critter...

...naughty cat no.1, who seems to think that any freshly dug piece of soil in his garden is for his purposes! The netting alone proved insufficient as he was caught in the act, hunched under it doing his business - I was not a happy gardener! But, he really is the most adorable, loving cat I have ever known and it is so very difficult to stay cross with him for long! Just stay off my veg patch!

On Sunday (2nd May) I shall be having a stall at the Saltaire Charity Craft Market, which is being held to raise funds for the Bradford City Burns Unit Appeal. There will be two rooms of craft stalls with "everything from bangles and beads to food and drink and everything in between!" There's also going to be café selling drinks, homemade cakes and snacks with all proceeds from the café being shared between The Burns Unit and Cancer Research UK - the latter being a charity that is very close to my heart at the moment. It is a new event and I am hoping that it will be a good one! Victoria Hall is a lovely location and Saltaire is a UNESCO World Heritage village - it's definitely worth a visit if you never been there. The Craft Market is open from 11am to 4pm with free entry to the public but, of course, any donations to the Burns Unit Appeal will be very gratefully received. If you're nearby, please do stop by and say "hello"!

On that note, I had better finish this post and get on with making some more brooches, mirrors....

Back soon,

Rebecca

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And the winner is...

Congratulations Becca! I shall be sending the parcel of goodies to you next week. Thank you so much to everyone that took the time to leave a comment - I have thoroughly enjoyed reading them all!

This week I've been making these with the children at art club...

...we've called them "squidgies" and I now have around 35 of the creatures waiting for me in the kitchen! Job for today: to give the Squidgies their squidgy filling and stitch them up!

I don't normally buy craft magazines, but I just had to get a copy of May's Knitting magazine as my Flower Hair Grips are featured in the 'Get Inspired' section (top right hand corner!).

I have to say it is a lovely magazine - I'm particularly looking forward to reading the 'WI Controversial: The Changing Face of the Women's Institute' article and I love this Strawberries and Cream Tea Cosy pattern by Patti di Cagli.

As it's another sunny day outside, I shall be doing a little more weeding, sorting and planning in the garden later. Lettuce, rocket, beetroot and mangetout seeds went in last weekend - a little late, but we always get there in the end! I am planning a good sort out at the bottom of the garden by the pond so that I can scatter some wild flower seeds and just wait to see what happens! Hopefully, a colourful display in late summer! Watch this space...

Back soon,

Rebecca

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Last chance...

Just dropping in to say that I shall be making the draw for my giveaway at 9pm this evening, and I shall announce the winner in a blog post over the weekend.

Thank you & good luck!

Back soon,

Rebecca
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Giveaway Goodies

As promised, here are some photos showing some of the goodies that will be included in my giveaway parcel:

Some Lettuce Seeds for the garden, a Vintage Embroidery Handbag Mirror

...some Buttons & Threads...and one of my Flower Brooches

and some Baking Cases and these colourful Jam/Chutney Pot Covers & Labels

- altogether a parcel which, I think, sums up the kind of things that I blog about quite nicely - I do hope that you will think so too!

There is still time to enter the giveaway by leaving a comment on this post, or 1 today, in response to this question:

• What do you enjoy about blogging/reading blogs?

I have loved reading the responses so far! The lucky winner's name will be drawn on Friday 23rd April. Good luck!

Time now to sit in the garden with a nice cup of tea and make the most of the glorious sunshine - hope the sun is shining wherever you are!

Back soon,

Rebecca

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Pink & Purple

I've been busy working on some pretty brooches for spring/summer - here they are drying after felting slightly in the washing machine:

You can see the finished results on my website, which is also almost finished too!

The gorgeous weather we've had over the last few days is bringing things along nicely in the garden. The flowering currant is looking particularly good this year...I love its flowers just before they open as they always remind me of raspberries and summer's delights yet to come!

This bee seemed to like it too!

Some of you might remember me asking the question: "When will there be broccoli?" . Well, the answer is: About 18 months after planting out! As you know, we have been eating the leaves so that it has not seemed like a total waste of time giving over so much of our veg plot to the plants. Just as I was collecting what was going to be one of our last helpings of leaves before pulling up the plants, I discovered that broccoli was sprouting at last! Gorgeous, purple broccoli...a delight to my eyes and, hopefully, to our taste buds very soon!

Please don't forget my First Anniversary Giveaway - I will post some pictures soon, but the package will definitely include one of my Vintage Embroidery Handbag Mirrors, some seeds for the garden (unless the winner lives overseas, in which case I will need to check with HM Customs as I know they can be funny about these kinds of things!), baking cases and more that I have yet to decide upon! Thank so much to those of you that have commented so far - I have loved reading your responses!

Back soon,

Rebecca

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Happy Easter

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter!

Back soon with more details of the giveaway goodies,

Rebecca

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1 today!

It's been a year since my children persuaded me to start blogging and what fun it has been!

I have loved taking photos of little things that I would never have bothered with before (like these Easter chicks waiting to go to one of my craft workshops!) and, looking back through my posts, blogging is such a wonderful way of keeping a record of happenings and life's simple pleasures that I might otherwise have forgotten about!

I have also enjoyed discovering other people's blogs over the last year...there are so many wonderful, funny, thought provoking, interesting and inspiring blogs out there - thank you all!

Some might call it being nosey, but I think we are all a little curious about what other people get up to and blogging gives us a peek!

So, to celebrate a year of blogging, I thought I would have a giveaway! I'm not sure exactly what it will be yet, but it will be a collection of goodies that relate to things I have blogged about over the last year - more details will be revealed in future posts! As it's Easter and the children are at home, I shall make the draw on St George's Day, 23rd April, which gives everyone plenty of time to enter.

To be in with a chance of winning, just leave a comment in response to this question:

• What do you enjoy about blogging/reading blogs?

I look forward to reading your comments...

Back soon,

Rebecca

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Positivity=Creativity

Despite all the not so cheery things that are going on in our lives here at the moment, I have decided that I am going to keep my blog as a place of positivity and creativity...or at least I shall try to!

I was back with the Brownies this week to finish off the egg cosies and here are some of the end results:


I was delighted when one of the girls told me that her dad had bought her some knitting needles this week and when another was excited to tell me that she had started to knit a scarf. All the girls seemed to really enjoy themselves, knitting and nattering, with a few exclamations of "I can knit!" along the way - so pleasing bearing in mind the "I can't do it" and "It's too hard" from the first week's session! How sweet too that one Brownie asked Brown Owl if I could join them on Pack Holiday next week!

The lovely Calico Kate asked me for the pattern for the little egg cosies, so here it is:

Most of the Brownies used 7mm needles and DK yarn, which gives quite a loose knit, but grows quickly!

1. Cast on around 20 sts - needs to measure at least 12cm when stretched across your needle.
2. Knit until your work measures approx. 7cm.
3. Cut yarn, leaving an end of approx. 30cm and, using a wool needle, thread this through all the stitches on your knitting needle.
4. Remove knitting needle and pull yarn to gather the top. Then, with right sides facing, stitch the side seam. Fasten off and darn in loose end at beginning of cast on edge.
5. Make a small pom-pom and stitch it to the top of your egg cosy!

Well, as my boy is pleading starvation, it would seem that it is time to go into the kitchen, but I shall be back tomorrow with a First Anniversary post - it's hard to believe that I have been blogging for a year already!

Bye for now,

Rebecca
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