Quick Update

Been a pig of a week.I really must get myself organised and either get myself another job or get serious about going back to NZ ( I think the husbands gonna take a bit more convincing). My current job is baking my head and not good for my stress levels!

Anyway, as  I havent had any takers for the craft bits and bobs I was (trying) to give away, I thought I was stuck with them. Then I picked up a craft mag and found a newish website which is like an Ebay for crafts!
 Craftybob.com   
You can buy and sell your excess supplies of stuff youve made yourself. Its still quite small but I thought Id give it a try.

Making wise, Im now on the last batch of Owls for my stall at The Donfield Music Festival on the 12th of August. I shall be taking (and hopefully selling) of them.

Last week I came across the hear-twrenching story about an 8 month  old girl who died of  SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy). Estella Star 
An appeal has been launched in memory of Estella for crafters to make stars which are all going to be put on a wall.  You can see some of the ones that have already been made here........Estellas wall
So I thought I had to make one and sent it off. I had thought about sewing one and stuffing it, but that turned out to be a disaster, so I ended up paperweaving three instead.

My stars for Estellas wall

In the garden,things arent  looking good, due the the crap weather weve been having this Summer. . Ive lost my potatoes to Tomato Rust and there arent many flowers around. This is pretty much it........

My lone sweet pea flower

Petunias

Petunias

Wild Poppy (growing as a weed)

Pretty much the only thing which is thriving in the garden at the moment is the slug population!

All in all its been a pretty quiet week. Having put in quite a bit of overtime at work, it feels like Ive not been home much. The house looks like a tip and Ive got WAY behind with the domestics.

So I shall leave you with an image of The Mother-in-Laws girls who were chilling on the bench outside the back door when I got home from work this morning.

Such a hard life!

So, take care and will 'speak' to you again soon.
Laters.
Jojo xx

Sundays Trip to Mablethorpe

When my husband was growing up,his family had lots of day trips and Summer holidays in Mablethorpe. His Mother felt that this would be a fitting place to scatter his Dad's ashes, so we all went to Mablethorpe on Fathers Day last year. We had a picnic and a day on the beach, and paid tribute to my lovely Father In Law.
It was decided that we would return every year on Fathers Day to pay our respects and have a kind of memorial day.
This year, (due to reasons I wont go in to), the date that was chosen was July 8th. I was not happy, but sometimes its easier to keep quiet, so sucked it up! Needless to say, we werent looking forward to going.
So, the Husband and I decided that we would take charge of our day and not let others dictate what we were going to do and when.
We got to Mablethorpe just after midday ( we left Sheffield just after 9.30), and went off to get a cuppa and a bite to eat. We had a yummy All Day Breakfast from a nice beachfront cafe.
The weather wasnt brilliant, but the rain held off for most of the afternoon. We had a look through the shops and wandered up the beach to find the rest of the family, who, had by the arrived.
We pretty much had the beach to ourselves, as you can see by the pic below! really hard to believe this was Mablethorpe on a Sunday in the 'middle' of Summer,

We had a paddle, during which I got pretty soaked (but had bought a change of clothes), then sat round for a few hours.......

Our 'campsite' 

watching family members play footie, cricket and fly kites

Nephew and his youngest son, kite flying

About 7.30, husband and I went back to the town to have a meal before we set off back home and were surprised at how little was still open. We found a place called 'Sams Diner' , looked great, but very disappointing. Be warned!!!!

Husbands meal, promised much,deeply disapointing.

 

 

 Then it was time to head for home. We got back just before 11pm, thoroughly knackeres, but havgin enjoyed a day that we thought we werent going to.
Next year we will be going on Fathers Day even if the rest of the family arent.
Jojo

Craft Giveaway

The idea for me having a bit of a giveaway was inspired by Suki over at the owl club who I discovered this week. She blogged about wanting to try new crafts, one of these being Silk Painting. I had a few silk paints which I hadnt used for quite a while (and wasnt likely to use again), so asked her if she would like them. Suki has covered the cost of the postage and they will be on their way to her shortly.

As Im on a clearout mission at the moment, this gave me the idea to have a bit of a giveaway, starting with some bits I could gather together quite quickly. Depending on how this goes there may be more at a later date, and I have loads more to sort through.
Any of these can be yours for the cost of the postage, and if you want to make or send me a little something in return, then that would be wonderful.

Coloured pieces of Aida (for cross stitch). all 14 count and various colours and sizes, the largest price is approx 31cm x 56cm

Small bags of relcaimed beads, ranging from seed beads to transparent sequins to suqares etc. Various colours, al least 100+ beads in each bag. I have loads of these so you can pick and mix to your hearts content.

Calendar Cats Cross stitch kit, complete.

Christmas cards, three fold  with aperatures. 4 of each with white envelopes, (its never too early to get a head start!)

Relief paste for glass painting. Te creame used for outlining, in copper, silver and imitation lead.

A piece of soft hessian type fabric with a silver thread running through it. The piece is approx 40cm x 70xm. It is a creamy colour with quite an open weave (unfortunatley the pic doesnt do it justice).

24 pieces of scrapbook paper (30cm x 30xm ) 2 of each design ranging in weight from 80-200 gsm.

Assorted sizes and colour of plastic canvas (great for xstitch). 3 full pieces A4 size (two red and one clear) and 1 full piece with larger holes (27cm x 34cm), and various other sizes.

3 lovely pieces of Organza, each approx 42cm x 32cm. Great for gift bags.

Patterned scissors (for papercraft as they wont cut fabric), two handles and 6 setf of interchangable blades.

A lovely Christmas stamp (I have used this quite a bit). Design is approx 8cm x 11cm and looks great stamped in black and them coloured in.

Small silver stars with pretty diamante star on the top and a dot of double sided tape on the back. 2 bags - 20 stars in each bag.

So, there you have it. If you want any of these items, you can either leave a comment or contact me by email kiwijo95@yahoo.co.uk and we can discuss postage costs etc.

Happy Shopping.
Jojo
:o)

My Week Off

The last week has been a busy one, but the best part was that I didnt have to go to work (always a bonus when you dont like your job!).
I only managed to achieve about half the things I wanted to, but things like ironing can wait (and wait and wait - have I mentioned how much I loathe ironing?)
So, heres a quck rundown of what I have managed to get done.

Monday.
Pottered about doing some houseworky bits and bobs and went to a couple of  local garden centres to have a look round and buy a Birthday pressie for one of my Sisters in Law. Found some nice little Alpine plants and a nice tub to put them in, topped the tub with gravel and this is how it looked when potted up.

Tuesday.
Had a bit of a sewing day, a few repairs and then finally got round to making myself a shopper. I made a few of these last year for gifts, but never got round to making one for myself. Ive lined this one with fabric from an old pillowcase and put some cording through the handles to make them a bit stronger.

Wednsday.
Another pottering day. OH had a days work, so I cracked on with lots more houseworky stuff and a bit of reading, etc.
Thursday.
We hit Chesterfied Rag and Tag market on the lookout for stuff we could refurb for the Steampunk enterprise (we will get round to setting out Etsy shop up soon, honest). We whizzed round a lot quicker than we normally do as it was pelting down with rain most of the time we were there!

(thats a rather wet OH in the front of the pic).
Usually you cant move in this market as its heaving with people, but it was more than a little bit damp. We decided to try and dry out a little in the local MacDonalds.

(The rain has stopped - but it only stopped for about 10 mins).
Then we had a quick run down to Derby to visit a friend in the Derby Royal. She is having chemotherapy at the moment and seems to get an infection after every treatment. This time its really knocked her back, so we thought we'd drop in and say Hi. Derby is only about 25 miles from Chesterfield, and its not a bad wee run (although it wasnt very plesant in the rain). Hopefully when I get some days off in August we will go down to see her at home in Nottingham.
Friday.
I went to a friends workplace to have lunch with her (her work is just over the fence from my work). I called in @ Costco to get some of their yummy Chicken and Bacon Bakes and we had a good old catchup. :o)

Then OH and I went Charity Shopping in Broomhill. We round a few bits and pieces we can 'punk up' and loads of books. This is just my reading pile for the next few weeks.

Saturday.
More houseworky stuff, and a bit of pottering in the garden (between rain showers). Put some flowers in the front garden and the borders in the back. Did some weeding and cutting back and potted up some Alpines and houseleeks. The veg patch is still looking rubbish, tho the potatoes, radishes and carrots are finally starting to get going. Flowerwise, things are still looking very poor - my sweetpeas have been really dissapointing this year. :O(

Sempervium (Houseleeks)

Saxifragia (will have lovely tiny pick and white flowers - hopefully)

 

 

Sunday.
We took OH's Mum to the Sheffield Steam and Vintage Rally this morning. It wasnt a bad wee walk round, they had some stalls, classic cars, tractors and motorbikes and lots of steam engines and rollers. I liked the singage on this one - it reads Siddal Daughters and Father.

So, thats been my week off. Weve now got to go and visit one of OH's Sisters (as its her Birthday), then I can come home and think about getting myself organised for work tomorrow.
There was plenty I didnt get done, but I did manage to pack a bit in.
Now roll on my next few days off at the end of August.
Taa Taa For Now.
Jojo
xxx

This Weeks Happenings.......

For a change its been quite a busy week.
I seem to have packed quite a bit in, although working 40 hours a week does mean that I should be a bit more organised than I actually am!

OK, so we started the week with out 20th Wedding Anniversary, really cant quite believe that its been that long - where did the time go!

Garden wise, things have been a bit quiet, mainly due to the rotten weather. Weve had our first crop of lettuce this week, but most of my efforts have been centred on keeping the cats from using my front garden as the local public convenience. There seems to be one rather persistant cat who is really starting to annoy me. Dont get me wrong, I love cats, but I dont like them crapping on my garden and scrathcing up my flower bulbs in the process!!!!!

On the craft front, I got another 10 owls done this week.......

and have now got to give some thought as to how we are gonna display them on my stall. Phil has got his thinking cap on. :O)

Ive also been having a go at some crochet. I learnt over 30 years ago, but Mum only ever taught me the basic stitches, (double and treble), so I got a book and have been trying a few stitches. Im not sure what(or if) Im gonna make anything yet, but brushing up on the skill means I can add it to my repitoire.

Then on Friday it was Phils Birthday. :O) I worked Saturday morning (I dont usually if I can help it, but was so far behind with no chance of catching up next week as the part timer in the office is on her hols), we went and looked round a few 'Antique' (and I use the trem very loosely) shops. We are on the hunt for bits we can 'punk'.  As I mentioned before, as the Camera Repair industry has ground to a halt, Phil has lots of skills and spare parts that arent doing anything. He has spent a while looking into Steampunk and reckons it could be a way for him to earn a bit of a wage. Up until now hes been making prototypes and brushing up on his skills, but we are looking round for bits and bobs we can buy cheaply, punk, and then sell on Etsy (the craft version of Ebay). The main principle for Steampunk, is to start with something Victorian and then add to it.
So, we came home with a few interesting bits........

These binocluars are actually Opera glasses and they are chrome, so me being the helpful wife that I am has got the interesting task of stripping them down.......

and cleaning all the muck (and laquer) off them before Phil gets to put them back together and 'punk' them.
Its gonna take me a while, but we will hopefully they will look fabulous when weve done.

So, thats been my week, and we are off to another 'Antique/Craft' place today before I get the lovely job of  cooking a hunk of good old New Zealand Lamb for a rare Sunday Roast which I know Phil is already looking forward to.

Till next time.
Jojo
:O)

What Ive Been Up To

Wow, is it really 6 weeks since I blogged!
I thought I hadnt really been doing much (apart from work), but when was looking for some pics to go on here I found I havent been as idle as I  thought.

Craftwise, the majority of my time is still being spent on building up the stock of owls for the Music Festival in August. This would go a lot faster if I didnt keep selling them! :O)
Ive now got 24 completed and another 5 under way, no two are the same. Am aiming for 40, but may keep going and see just how many I can get done.
 I think there are about 19 or so in the pic below.......

Ive also completed (and sent)  two knitted blankets for Battersea Dogs Home as part of their appeal.

Also, I found an interesting link on Twitter a few weeks ago for making paper flowers using the Japanese art of Kusudama. Turns out it was really easy, I made a flower ball for my office at  work....

and some flowers for my sister in law

I have got a few ideas lined up for when my life isnt dominated by making owls! OH is trying his hand a Steampunk bits and Im gonna have a dabble also. And I am gathering ideas for Xmas as well - we have a huge family and cant afford to spend much so I tend to craft most of the pressies (so usually have to start as early as I can!).

In the Garden,  things are moving quite slowly. Ive had a few radishes so far, but as its been wet and not too warm, things are only now just starting to get going (apart from my sweetpeas and carrots which arent doing well at all).
My potatoes are finally starting to look like they are doing something

and my lettuce are doing well also

Flowerwise, Im a bit puzzled with my giant poppies this year. I have had these two plants for years and they have always had the same colour and size flowers. This year Ive got pale larger flowers on one and smaller, darker flowers on the other!

The only thing I can think of is that the wall at the side of the darker ones was put in the year before last when our neighbours dug their garden out (and left a whacking great hole the length of my garden which was 5 foot deep at the front and 8 foot deep at the back)! They left this for a year before putting the wall up so Im wondering if this has had some kind of effect on the soil.

We havent had much of a Summer so far , apart from a weeks or so of decent weather in May. The Mother in Law went away for a week with one of her Grandsons and his family and, as we live next door, we got the joyful (!) job of looking after her animals. Luckily we could leave her back door open as well as ours (we share a back yard) so the 'girls' could pretty much chill out where they wanted.

I even did the decent thing and took the bombhead dog out for a trundle through the local woods

Ive also managed to find myself a few bargins over the last few weeks.
A friend at work told me about everything5pounds.com so I decided to give it a go. None of the clothes would fit me (as I have curves) but OMG the shoes!!!!!!!! I decided to try a few pairs

and I doubt I will buy shoes anywhere else ever again! I couldnt believe the quality, all of these have got leather insoles and are beautifully made and finished, and comfy. Im usually a 4 1/2, but these are all 5s and fit beautifully. I loathe having to spend money on shoes for work and up until now have usually made do with Primark £6 ones which only last a season or so. These are MUCH better quality and will last longer. Can you tell Im impressed! Admittedly you pay P&P by weight. paid £32 for 6 pair, but have sent a pr back (no fuss returns and they also refund postage by weight). So its certainly worth a look. :O)

Ive also topped up my book collection courtesy of thebookpeople.co.uk .

 Ive always dabbled in making a few sweets for family birthdays and Xmas etc, but have usually stuck to the same ones. I also make a few homemade beauty products as Im am very into growing and using my own herbs, (Ihave a Diploma in Herbal Medicine). I like the idea of foraging but so far have only been brave enough to pick Wild Garlic and Rosehips, so Im hoping Alys Fowlers book will help me be a bit more adventurous.

Other bargins have included some lovely small  glass bottles from T K Maxx which I will use for herb oils of vinegars,

and an unusual bowl from a junk shop which OH doesnt like but I think its quite funky and it will look fab as a fruit bowl on my Welsh dresser.

So, there we have it, a quick update about whats been happening over the last few weeks.
It may not be the most exciting blog, but its mine!

Till next time.
Jo
xxx

Gardening Sunday

Thought it was about high time I got cracking with sowing some seeds, and as its a beautiful day I couldnt think of any reason why I shouldnt bite the bullet. The first 30 mins was spend making pots out of newsaper with my 'paper potter' which was a present from a Sister in law for my birthday last Novermber. This was only the second time I have used it and I highly recommend them.

   The idea is you make sow your seeds in them and plant the whole thing out, the paper rots disintergrate and these is no root disturbance to the seeding. I think its fab.I hope the seedinglings enjoy the sports pages! That done, I got everything else gathered together and was ready to get going.

I planted some peas straight into conatiners as I love the tips of the plants in my salads, and in the paper pots went radishes, 2 types of lettuce, sunflowers, calendula and marigolds. They are now sitting quite happily in the cold frame.
A quick weed round both front and back gardens, then it was time for a well earned coffee and  to take a couple of pics to show how things are progressing.

The sweetpeas I planted out last weekend are looking good (tho the wigwam has seen better days).

Loving the way the sunshines through this beautiful red tulip. The hyacinths have been out for a couple of weeks, the still look good and smell wonderful.
Its time like this I wish I had lots more room so I could get some serious veg growing done.
One day Id like to dig up the lawn and terrace it, but weve got lotsto do on the house first. Still, I might not have much space, but I manage to pack quite a bit in.
:o)
Jo