I Made it...

Yarooooooooo! I made it to 40..  Yup I did.  Yesterday (24th Sept) I made it to the BIG 40..  How do I feel?  Well I feel great.  I thought I would be all depressed but you know, it's the people who love and care for you that made it special.  My 40th birthday was my best yet..  I must say it was a quiet day, I spent doing what I pleased, much like everyday, but there was that element of extra special happiness.

So I started the day off with The Three Degree's Mum, Charlie and Sonny serenading me the happy birthday song with a wonderful ball of flames cake.

So pretty and tasted fabulous.  Though no I did resist from having a piece for breakfast.

Some balloon's for the Birthday Girl.

Some flowers for the Birthday Girl.  Which has a funny story behind it.  I wanted to go out yesterday morning and mum kept saying that she had stuff to do.  I was like all huffy, thinking hey it's MY birthday, I want to go out.  Anyhoo jokingly I said to her, "oh I know you have surprised me with a strip-a-gram and that's what we are waiting for.  With that the doorbell rang and I was skipping to the door singing "HE'S HERE!" When I opened the door a much better surprise was waiting for me.  A fabby basket of flowers from mum and a box of Belgium Choc's.  Nom.. Nom.. Oh I was really over the moon.  I never had flowers delivered to me before.  It definitely was the best surprise I had.  I really love them.

I had a wonderful array of heart felt cards from my friends and family.  (Look there's my car sneaking into the picture)

My Kath Kidston Roberts Radio.  A gift I had early cos I nagged my mum to give it to me...  (This is why she don't buy me presents early, because I nick them)

Lastly the bestest prezzie of all.  Dylan my Guitar.  Isn't he just gorgey? I can' t play.  I'm waiting for lessons.  I have learned to play 2 notes and have really sore fingers at the moment.  Playing the Guitar is something I have wanted to learn for moons.  So now I can learn.  Although I think mum has donned earplugs.  You tube is really good, I am surfing around there looking at different way how to play, until I can get to my lessons.  I think learning to read the music will be harder for me.  Oh well I'll let you know how that goes.

So I really did have a wonderful day, so many thank you's to my friends and family who made it special.

Quilt along time now.  I have finally sewed up all my blocks and put them all together.  I learned that your seams must be perfect or it knocks the rest of it out of shape.  But I wasn't about to undo it.  Some of my blocks are on the wonky donkey side, but it's ok I have learned this for next time.

I don't know if you can see or not, that the blocks are slightly off.  Thank the honey bee's I picked a really fussy pattern, they are not as noticeable when you stand back to look.

Saying that I can see a lot of wonky ones.  I don't think it is too bad on my first try.  I am super nervous about next week *nibbles nails*

Oh well enough wiffy waffy waffle from me.  I'm off to do a bit of crochet, yes I'm still at mum's blanket.  Though I can't wait to finish it.  All the little piles of hexagons look really cosy and rich.

Have a fabahhhhh day xx

Hoo are you #15

Weeeeheeeeeeeeeeee!! I'm playing again.  I do love playing along.  Not only do I love to answer questions, I love to share them too.  So here is my Hoo Are You's for this week

1.  What is your Zodiac sign?

I'm a Libra the ditherer and the funny thing is that I am actually a Libra.  Balanced I am not, wobbly I am lol..  Here is my characteristics from some random online thingy..

The Bright side of my scales..

Charming, easy going, romantic, diplomatic, idealistic, refined, in love with love, likes pretty things.

The Dark side of my Scales.

Indecisive, resentful, frivolous, changeable, flirtatious, easily influenced, highly susceptible to flattery, restless.

2. Name 3 things that are always in your purse besides your wallet.

Oh I had to think about that, because my purse is my wallet in English lol.  So what do I have in my bag?  OK I hate bags, I just find them so annoying.  In mine must  be, my house keys, my phone, tissues and a mint.  (just in case Jensen Ackles wanders into Clacton and snogs my face off)

3. Which magazines do you look at the most?

None of the tabloidy rubbish ones, which tell you about what colour Taylor Swift's knickers are. I prefer my crafting mags.  Which are monthly so every month I tend to have a huge pile.  But I only buy them if I like what I have seen first, I don't buy them willy nilly lol.

4. Do you pluck or get your eyebrows waxed?

Well at the moment, I am not doing either.  I used to have them waxed and then pluck out the straggly ones.  I'm quite liking not having the hassle of keep on maintaining them..  Surprisingly it doesn't look like my moustache has moved up above my eyes either.

5. How often do you go grocery shopping?

Too often and I Hate it.  Maybe 2 or 3 times a week.  My 2 boys are like truffle snorters, they eat everything and anything that's not attached.  I do actually fear for my life when they go foraging for food.  I dare not go in the kitchen just in case they toast me or something..  So yes I shop a lot.

Great stuffio..  I hope you join in too let me know and I will pop over for a visit..

Thanks for reading x

I have gone wrong.......

Ahhh Friday at last.  The sun is shining and I have some great stuffs to show you.  I must warn that this post is a super dooper whopper of a post and really picture intensive. So grab yourself a refreshing beverage and read on.

As you know I joined in the Quilt Along over at fatquarterly.  It's week two and I must say so far I am really enjoying making my quilt.  Yes indeedy I have gone wrong and fixed my little wrongs.  Katy has just made it so easy to follow that even people who have never used a sewing machine could easily follow this.  So here is what I have done so far.

My 80 blocks all ready to piece together.  The piecing was so easy and really quick.

I really am starting to love the colours on the Moda Freebird jelly roll.  These colours are not to my taste usually, but I admit it, they are really growing on me.

Can you see what's wrong here?  Yeah I did sew the larger block back to front.

Don't we all make mistakes?  Or is it just me who does that?  They are unpicked and fixed back on the pile.  LOL I never noticed though until I was pressing them.  Out of 80 blocks 2 fails.  I don't think that is too bad going.

Onto my next project that Mum and I have been fiddling with.  I didn't do as many as I liked to simply because my wrist wont allow me to knit for some reason.  I am ok with crochet now but knitting still hurts like a mo fo!

OOOOO That's nice wall paper..  Anyhooo here is our little innocent hats, going off to help raise money for our elderly.  There are a few more in the envelope, but they were so bright they were screwing with my camera colour.  And you know I can only point and snap pictures.

I bought the new UK based magazine Making yesterday and I was really surprised how great it was. It's fairly priced at £4.99 a month but if you subscribe you can get 12 months for half price.

For a crafter like me who likes to dabble in all crafts it's really good.  I mean it had all crafts in there.  I was really surprised.  Sometimes you pick up a craft mag and think, hang on a sec, I've seen all this.  But it had how to make soap and how to make pickles in there.  Had a bit of fashion revamping.

Things to make for the garden, ooooh all sorts.  It was in a really nice thick paper mag rather than a flimsy whimsy pages.  But the best thing of all I liked about it, was that I wasn't overwhelmed with every other page full of adverts.  Although it does have adverts it wasn't in your face advertising.  Yup I think I will be subscribing to this one..  I might even ask for it for a birthday gift. (which is coming soon).

Now for my most exciting find of the week.  Drum roll please ......

Irresistible gifts to crochet.  Fantastic!!  Finally a crochet mag that actually isn't about knitting lol.  Mum and I both gave it a thumbs up.  It is one of those one off mag's ( you never know the UK might think oh people like to crochet too, let's do a mag.) It was very fairly priced for what was in it. £9.99 and that included postage and packing.  Fabulous darling's, just FAB!!

Here are a few of the content pages.

And you never guess what....  Or should I say, you will never guess who I found lurking in the pages.

Well it was my favourite crochet girl Lucy from Attic24.. Yeah it's troooooooo!!! There she was smack bang in the center of an online ad page.  I was so excited I nearly peed my pants.  I was bouncing all over the place like a loony.  The funny thing was I was that excited to see Lucy in the pages I run off to tell her that she had been featured, but in the wrong mag ha ha ha ha.  Anyhooo to cut a short story shorter, Lucy emailed me and I replied letting her know that I had not seen her in Making but I had seen her in Iressistable Gifts to Crochet..  I hope that it's still a nice surprise for her.

Well what a yarooooooo week for me..  I have been really busy pottering about with my creativeness bubbling away.   That's just how I like it..  I hope it last's forever and ever and ever *bursts into song*

Ok I am off becasue I need to get some laundry done and I want to browse through my new books and have a look for my next project..

Have a fabahhhhhh day x

Filled with buttercream and raspberry jam.

Good nearly afternoon my blog reading friends.  I do hope you are all jolly well and enjoying your day/evening/night?

Well I can't believe myself this week. No I really can't.  I have even amazed myself. *swoons* And, yes it's only wednesday.  This so far has been pleasantly busy.  Not too busy that I'm running round like a headless chicken.  Yet not busy enough that I'm sitting pretty staring out the windows at the gorgey guys building a brick wall *grins*

Monday I finished off the birthday cake for my monster - in - law.  I was really proud of myself because it's the first birthday cake I have made.  Usually I buy them but I thought, I can do this.  I have been following Make-a-cake Series over at Make It and Love It.  Ashley makes things look so fabulously, fabulous, I just thought ok I am going to do it.  So I did. And I made a few thousand mistakes, yet I learned from each one.

Lesson Number One Learned.

Do not drop the cake tin with the cakes still in it.  It squashes them.

Lesson Number Two Learned

Once your cakes are starting to cool, it's not wise to drop the tin with another batch on them it also squishes them.

Lesson Number Three Learned

Be Creative..  I was having so much fun with this honestly.  The mini cupcakes look really horrid colours but they were pink and blue.  I think it's the light because the flowers have come out all pretty..

I learned a multitude of lessons, doing this cake.  Above all I learned how patient I can really be. A useful lesson I learned is if your fondant is really tough.  Let your mum sit on it to soften it up.. It really worked lol.  My fondant was as hard as nails.  I had read somewhere to pop it in the microwave, but I was not that brave.  So I gave mum the packet and said sit on this!! ha ha ha ha ha!!  She did and it was really pliable..  I should have kneaded it a little more beause it cracked a little when I draped it. (See pic below)

See just on the top edges, the fondant?

Well I don't think I did a bad job on the cake.  It was a triple layer cake.  Filled with buttercream and raspberry jam.  I'm still waiting for a piece..  I don't think we will get one.  My MIL said it was absolutely delish, but then she is bias lol..

Yesterday I started piecing my pieces together for the quilt along.  So far I have 80 strips of fabric waiting for the iron and then I can piece the edges on which will complete the block.. I will post the finished blocks and all the quilters can faint and recoil in horror ha ha ha ha..

Happy days..  I LOVE creative days x

Have a great one xx

See I knew you did

Ahhhh Saturday, perfectly blissful.  The weather is a bit naff but that's ok becasue it's warmish.. Mum is at work, the boys are visiting their lovely grandparents, and me?  Well I am having a silent afternoon, of  laundry combined with a bit of blog hopping and lashings of hooking lol..

Wanna see what I have been upto?  No?  Really?  Are you sure?  See I knew you did.

Do these look delish or what?  Holy handbags they were indeed delish, topped with creamy yoghurt.  Definately refreshing and look what I found...

Awwww how cute is that.  Mummy and baby strawberry.  No I didn't eat the baby, just before you ask, but I certainly ate the mummy.  *NOSH NOSH*

Do you like these?  I do I love them dearly.  I am making a granny for mummypoo.  She wanted all bright colours on a background of black.  Let me tell you. Black is beastly to crochet with.  I can hardly see my stitches LOL!! I brought a daylight lamp to help me along.  My eyes are getting old lol.

This is my favourite combination.  I don't know if you can see or not?  I like the way the blue digs out the flower shape.  I got the African Flower Hexagon pattern from Heidi Bears Creative Blog.  She is worth a visit.  Her blog is fun and she has lots of tutorials on there, which are easy to follow if you are a newbie hooker like me.

I am also working on this for mummypoo. She wanted this is candy colours which is what I am trying to achieve.  I really love it, I can work on this at night as it's lovely and light to hook.  And somehow it's rather cheery when I hook.   I got the Ripple Pattern from Lucy over at Attic 24.  She is also a great read, her blog is always delightful and her designs are so simple that anyone can achieve.

And finally.

Yes I must learn how to take nicer pictures.  These are the colours that I will be using on my next project, which is actually FOR MEEEEE, ME, ME.

I am baking a cake tomorrow for my monster in law's birthday on tuesday.  I will let you know how that goes, yes with pictures..  What are you up to the weekend?  Anything fabulous?

So that's me done for now.  I hope you have a fabulous Saturday. x