Reddy Made

It's the holiday season........

...so hoop di doop and dickery dock!

Oh yes its that time again -and I bloomin love it all. Its officially Xmas when I hear The Pogues and Kirsty Macoll - Gets me every time.

Tonight, I spent a few moments taking some snaps of the things that make my Xmas special.

Xmas cushion present for my sister - just because I know it would make her smile. I love the word Noel. Don't like it as a name - one of my first bosses was a mean spirited Scottish guy with very bad teeth and big glasses. His name was Noel (natch). But I love to see the word at Xmas. Don't know why. Just do

The Xmas Cookie Jar mark #2 - Simon realised last week that ceramic and tiled flooring don't mix! Luckily the good people of  Whitehall Garden Centre were only a google search away!

My wonderful Advent calender which I had forgotten all about until I unwrapped the Xmas decs. This calender reminds me of my first Sindy House with the dining table and all the tiny crockery and plates. I would sit and imagine that I would have a dining table, complete with tiny candelabras, one day (yeah right). This calender makes me feel the same way about kitchens - one day....

Instead, I can busy myself with making ANOTHER festive cushion from this lovely lovely retro teatowel from you know who! You can't see the other side, but trust me the red polka dot is just gorgeous with the duck egg blue. I think I may have fallen in love with this print.

Crocheting in front of the new Gas fire. Glass of wine and Family guy. Nice.

Oh and a new edition to the growing collection of tree decorations. I must have seen 10,000 santas and angels before I saw this little wonder. My picture is rubbish ( New Year resolution - read instruction manuals) but she is so lovely in real life. Oh and of course, has to be Gisela Graham. The Granddame of decs.
 
Also the creator of last years treat which greets me from my grim commute every night

However, Gisela aside, I did find a couple of treats in the local Post Office. It was a complete serendipity moment. I'm quite particular about what constitutes a Reddymade Xmas decoration. I hate tinsel with a passion. The thought of it makes my teeth stand on edge. I had a proper Valleys working class up-bringing. Tinsel, shiny lanterns, paperchains, tins of Roses, Quality Street, Just Brazils, Harveys Bristol Cream and Gin'n'Bitter lemon. I have totally happy memories of those 70's classic Xmas's. I'm not in the least bit snootish. Except when it comes to Tinsel. It is the devils work.

So,  these two are more than welcome.

Sigh x

Here's to Xmas '09. Less tinsel than Xmas '79. But hopefully just as special

 

 

Crochet-phobic no more...

....I would like to introduce to you Ralph the Red Nose Reindeer.

 

Up until this weekend I'd had a problem with crocheting. I'd look at Attic 24 at all of Lucy's lovely colourful creations and want to create some wonderful rainbow throws. I'd stare in awe at Monica's stylish and sophisticated shawls, berets and dresses and I'd want to fill my wardrobe with lovely muted accessories.

And then I remembered it was me we are dealing with here. Speed Demon extraordinaire. Way way too impatient for a full-on throw and with the price of the best wool too damn stingey to make a £50 plus scarf. And as much as I tried to convince myself that granny squares are cool in a retro way, every time I started to attach mine together I'd get flashbacks to hideous 70's waistcoats on rotund ladies of a certain age. Mine were not cool.

And then, S decided to give me an early Christmas present last weekend. Super-Cute Crochet by Nicki Trench.. And my relationship with crochet changed, probably forever.

This book has one of the most wonderful attitudes I've come across in a craft book.  So funny, it had Dylan giggling away at this description of the monkey called Michael Storey junior:

Michael Storey Junior lives in a tree in his dad's back garden. He has his breakfast in his treehouse and throws bananas at the children next door. His father, Michael Storey, once famously went to Paris and visited all the sights includeing the Mona Lisa, but couldn't figure out what she was smiling at.

 

Dylan was also extremely impressed by the blonde boy doll, called Dylan (natch) who is "passionate about skateboarding" and who "tried to be an emo, but didn't find wearing the eyeliner very comfortable. Instead he listens to grunge music like Nirvana and chilled out beats when he's relaxing with his friends". Genius

I now have a reason to believe, and a book that gives me projects to finish in one sitting.

Bring on the Crochet Hook!!

 I've also mastered the art of knitting with three needles. I know - how flippin clever am I?

Again, this was prompted by cute little knitting projects - More tea vicar?

Good enough to eat.

Have a good week

X

Blondes of a Certain Age

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjTZpafEwe4

I watched this last night and it really made me giggle. Its so well observed.

I hope you enjoy too!

A funny kind of mood

Listen. I need your honesty. Cos sometimes in blogland, its gets a bit wizard of ozish. All splendour and awe, and you wonder whether you will ever stumble across the insignificant man puffing and huffing behind a curtain.

Well I feel like that man behind the curtain, except really, the curtain fell down a long while ago.

I don't want to be all doom and gloom, but I'm starting to feel that my blog has become somewhere to hide from reality and paint this wonderful vision of well, Oz?

I don't have red sparkly shoes, but I did turn up at my mum's tonight having a crisis.  There really is no place like home.

I don't want to turn my space into a terrible diary of woefulness because really that's not my life either, but I've realised that I'm still trying to find the right voice, the right mood and the right vision of what is true. Don't worry, I don't lie but I do omit.

However, this is a craft blog. And when I'm having a manic moment I seem to withdraw into myself, think and sew. So here's what 48 hours of a vile, bad mood brought:

I learnt how do free-quilt (I really don't know what the real word is) and I have to say that once I got the hang of it I absolutely loved the way I could just let my mind wander.

The random

I made a matching cushion for the quilt

The organised

It started off as a present for a 1 yr old but I simply couldn't part with it.

I then put my practice into the present. I think I actually fell in love with this pencil roll. I wanted to keep it but had run out of time and needed a present. I love the way the pencil sit snug in the most snuggly of duvets. I hope mum and baby treasure it.

 
I love this fabric

And just when I should be going to bed I decided that I couldn't face Monday morning train journey to London without a new scarf. I hate the styling of this photo. Its so pretentious, but I'm just damn tired now.

All of this when I should have been reading this.

And yes, I know big girls shouldn't eat lots of little bars of chocolate this time of night...but if you look really closely you'll see the curtains twitching.....

Sugar and Spice

..My little baby girl is getting older and bossier in equal proportions every day. Some say apples never fall too far from the tree, but I can't imagine what they must be talking about.

Its such a pleasure to have her around, even when she is screaming for my blusher brush and make-up bag for the 50th time.

Its also so nice to indulge her in all the traditional girly stuff. Like Tea dresses.

and gold shoes

 

All resting on my first ever, proper, patchwork quilt. Each stitch holds a little hug and a kiss from this totally love-struck mum to a wonderful little miss.

For Edith

xxx

Aches and Pains..

... I have Swine Flu.

My entire body aches. From the top:

Headache

Toothache

Mouth Ulcers

Earache

Sore nostrils

Neckache

Cough

Bad chest

Aching kidneys

Thigh ache

Knee ache

Calf ache

Oh and I feel sick too and I have crispy hair

I can only eat Ready salted crisps, real coke and chocolate (last time that happened I was pregnant!!)

If anybody wonders I am feeling like crap and then a bit crapper.

Sorry, but having spent 2 really dull days in my truly sick looking bed I needed to share that with you.

Get immunised and stay away from ANYONE WHO COUGHS.

xxx

A timely message...

I'm beginning to think that the ubiquitous poster is about to get overdone, and what was a lovely little cult following will become all too nausiatingly familiar. However, I made a decision to frame my lovely lovely copy of the Lady that I was so so pleased to get hold of. I even like to fact that you can see its a magazine cover. Oh and of course I didn't have the £99 to buy an original (not really the spirit methinks?). And the reason I want to see this message every day is because never before have I needed those words so much.

The world of work is tough and don't be thinking the recession is over. I'm not even sure we've even seen the middle of it in my world yet. Scary times.

So I need a bit of encouragement to get my sorry ass out the door at 7.10 every morning to stand on an overcrowded train after waiting in the freezing cold.

Take care out there...

Remembrance

 

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Scarwey eyes mummy!!

... Halloween through the eyes of a 2 and a half year old. Life is so exciting at this age!

Half Term happiness

I love half-term. This week has been a welcome break in the mad rush of work work work. It gives me time to stop and look around me. We always learn a little more about each other in this week too. I suppose its the dark nights throwing us together. Our big learn is that you can have fun with 3 dice and a suggestion from nanny. Beetle Drive. I had forgotten all about this game. Apart from the cheating it gave us so much fun.

We also learnt how to play tiddliwinks. Forget the Nintendo DS. This is modernity!

We found this box of games hidden in a drawer. We'd had it for years - a present for Dylan when he was way too young. I know we are using the marble mat but it proved very useful.

 I love being off for a week in the run up to Halloween.

Its such a dream for make and doing. As soon as I see the first pumpkin I get all excited. Its all about the orange and the black for me.

A trip to Monmouth for spooky fabrics - The above will soon be a dress for Edie and a zombie shirt for Dylan.

Baking, baking and baking - check out the zombie biscuits - It did wonder if I was getting too carried away on the gore front

and how much did I enjoy making this today. A little bit of little helpers mixing but the Icing was all mine! Pure sugar filled headrush

 
But really the best thing about Half-term is spending time with the kids. Its a break and a breather in the long stretch between summer and Xmas. And my kids are growing up so fast its good to take some time out.

Happy Half-term Halloween to you all too

x