Wednesday, 11 May 2011

Drooling!......



.......over the FABULOUS new magazine.....
....which you can get on special offer at £5 for the first three months then 25% off after that.....to subscribe for the 3 issues,call this number -  0844 848 2852 quoting code MMSE12...overseas subscribers can get 40% off too - by calling +44 1604 251 045 and quoting code MMSE15....I think you can by the mag off the shelf from tomorrow (Thursday)..
.....some jewels include a FANTASTIC article on....

.....who some of you may know from her inspirational blog....
.....and there are loads and loads of other great articles and things to do from some other amazing contributors such as...
....check out their blogs, they`re also highly inspirational...
.....and after I`d stopped dribbling over that, even more drooling went on with the arrival of.....

....some lovely purchases from Kandipandi`s Folksy Shop....

...Lemon Meringue Pie Wax Melts...aren`t they cute and they smell so citrusy and fresh....check out Kandi`s Shop here for some more tempting treats http://www.folksy.com/users/Kandipandi
you`ll be there for ages, drooling, and you definitely won`t be disappointed....

.....and some drooling from a couple of weeks ago when the Lovely LaaLaa sent me these....


....the most perfect little birdcage buttons for which I have the perfect project to attach them to ....Thank You, LaaLaa for being so kind and generous.
That`s enough drooling for now.....have a Good Wednesday Everyone, I`m off to wipe my chin!
xxxxxxxxxx

Thursday, 5 May 2011

The Absolute Beginner`s Guide to Crochet......Tulip Fever....and A Tattooed Gardener

First things first.....
....find and choose a yarn in your favourite colour...

....then mix it up into a nice tangly mess........then working as fast as you can.....

......with a really big fat crochet hook (all under Nana`s watchful beady eye of course!).....
.....you can whip up something really lovely in no time at all, jus`like that!.....and then wander off and find something more interesting to do, leaving Nana to untangle a rather messy work basket!
**Part Two**

One of my favourite books is - Tulip Fever
  because it`s set in Amsterdam which I`ve visited twice and loved and it`s about Tulips.....who doesn`t love tulips?? Here are some more -

......and when you`ve had enough of Tulips, here`s one of the arms that planted the bulbs!....

....not mine, of course, I haven`t eaten THAT much chocolate....yet!

Enjoy x

Saturday, 30 April 2011

Step Away from the Chocolate......

....enough is enough!
.....time to stop kidding myself, give my jaws a rest.....and my scales because I refuse to go into the Summer months wearing this `winter shape` which I seem to have acquired during those deep dark months when all things sweet and stodgy were the order of the day! I can put up with a slight weight gain - I gave up trying to achieve the `hour glass` thing a while back for various reasons. So I`m taking stock, starting with my shape and then we`ll take it from there.
In the meantime, enjoy this little ditty which seems appropriate for the subject matter of this post.
 Hope You All have another Great Bank Holiday.
Yay to Long Weekends!
It`s good to be back.
xxx

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

Normal Service Will Be Resumed ASAP

Hope y`all had a great Easter Weekend and will have a great Royal Wedding/Bank Holiday Weekend.
My router has gone kaput and I`m now waiting on delivery of a new one, which they said would take 3-5 days, not allowing for the post to catch-up from the weekend, of course!

See all you lovelies very soon, hopefully. Missing you loads. x

ps I`m posting this from my local library - God Bless Them. x

Thursday, 21 April 2011

Thrifting Thursday......

.....in the kitchen...
.....so, you know that nasty limescale that can accumulate at the bottom of your best glassware - want to know how to get rid of? Eggs....yes, that`s right.....or rather crushed eggshells

.....in the bottom of your jug or vase, alongwith a little water and leave for an hour or two....rinse it all out and dry to a sparkling shine...
....and not a chemical in sight!....
.....and you know when you get those awkward greasy food stains on your best t-shirt or blouse, well nothing shifts them like some white spirit dabbed on the spot, then wash as normal - but a little word of warning, it will smell a tad so best not to mix the marked clothing with other stuff. However, once you hang your item out to dry, the smell will vanish in the fresh air, promise....and also, you can use it on almost any material and best of all, it won`t stain or bleach....
......and you know when life hands you lemons....

....well, don`t just make lemonade....cut some in half and rub the inside of your oven door all over, wipe with a damp cloth and buff dry and...hey presto, clean and shiny and smelling all lemony lovely, although if it`s very badly marked with baked on food, you may have to turn to a thick paste of bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice to get the job done.... you can also swipe around the inside of your wine or drinking glasses, rinse and dry for a sweet-smelling,no soapy residue sheen. Doing the same with your microwave, if you own one, keeps it fresh and clean inside too. Also, half a lemon left in your fridge will absorb any strong odours and keep it smelling sweet (at least until you get around to cleaning it!).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And now that you`ve saved some time,energy and hopefully, money from everyone`s inspirational hints and tips, you can wander around the garden centre and pick up some stunning plants and shrubbery (provided no-one you know has any to give away, of course!) for your garden or containers, this Easter Bank Holiday Weekend!......
.....like a tremendous Tree Peony....
....or a Magnificent Magnolia....

.....or a True Blue Himalayan Mountain Poppy...
.....or two....


.....or just pick yourself some Bonny Bluebells (preferably from a garden, not the woods!).....

.....so, whatever your pleasure or however you`re spending it, I hope the Easter Bunny is good to all of you lovely Bloggy Chickadees.

 Happy,Happy Easter .....and remember, NEVER put all your eggs in one basket!
xxx


A HUGE Thanks to Betty over at http://mrsyappydog.blogspot.com/ for hosting this very helpful and interesting Thrifty Week and Swap - have a look at the names on her sidebar - you`ll find loads of lovely ladies all offering fabulous ways to Get Thrifty.....go on, you know you want to......






Monday, 18 April 2011

A Good Week to be Thrifty!

My friend Betty over at http://mrsyappydog.blogspot.com/ came up with the brilliant idea of a week of sharing tips on how to be (or stay!) thrifty, followed by a swap.Genius! So some of us have got together to share those hints and tips which will hopefully save you some time and money and from which I hope you will glean some usefulness. So here are mine....starting off in the garden....(apologies in advance for poor quality of pics, I dropped my good camera and broke the zoom lens so out came the old-faithful-but-rubbish-at-taking-pics model!If anyone has any tips on how to thriftily buy a new camera, I`d be ever-so-grateful!)....
....So, you know those plastic containers that most of our food comes in these days, well they`re ideal for planting seeds in - a lot cheaper than buying proper seed trays and they serve exactly the same purpose, even better when they have pre-cut holes in the bottom for drainage - you can clean them up when you`ve finished potting on and shove them in your recycling box later.....

(there is life in them trays, honestly.....the beans are just starting to sprout!)....

.......yoghurt pots work too!....I buy my seeds from Lidl because they`re exceptionally great value at 29p per packet for bog standard stuff like carrots,lettuce,runner beans,sweet peas and pansies which were all my seeds of choice this year. They also do really cheap fruit trees. My £4.99 apple tree produced 3 lovely cookers in it`s first year!

Making your own compost is easy.....just chuck everything i.e. veg peelings that would otherwise go to waste in the kitchen,  into your compost bin (I use an old plastic bucket, nothing fancy pants!)and let the worms do the rest. Remember to keep turning it though to ensure a good mix (it will smell putrid but once you mulch it into your soil, the `eau de merd` should disappear)!

Wooden lolly sticks look much nicer as plant labels and are much cheaper than the plastic options.....so start licking, saving and storing your ice-lolly sticks now!

Beg,borrow or.....well, no perhaps not steal!....plants and shrubs for your garden.....there`s always someone willing to divide clumps or give away bulbs, of whatever it is they have too much of in their garden and maybe you could return the favour if you have something they`d like in yours. Lots of plant sales starting soon as well - always a good source of plants and shrubs at reasonable prices. Do try and resist the temptation to `acquire` cuttings when visiting `open gardens`....you`ll only end up tending the veg plot of your nearest clink!

Gather seeds from your own plants or when you`re out and about in the hedgerows and save them in envelopes to dry out ready for planting. I`ve had a lot of luck with taking cuttings (roses,climbers) and just pushing them into the ground. Not always successful but 9 times out of 10 it works!

Try `Freecycle` for all things gardening......tools, lawnmowers,plant pots, etc. It`s amazing at what folks are willing to throw away! In turn, use Freecycle to get rid of some of your own stuff - it`s a great way to keep it out of landfill.

I could go on and on but you`d only get bored so I hope that`s enough to be getting along with......hopefully household and cookery suggestions to follow.......watch this space!



Happy Thrifty Gardening Everyone!

Wednesday, 13 April 2011

Did You Know?.......

........there are Angels floating around in the Blogosphere.....lately, some of them have graced me with selfless acts and thoughtful gifts just because they wanted to, such as....
....and...

...from Betty, The `Artistic and Gardening` Angel....
....and...



....from Camille, The `Bunting` Angel.....
and....
.......from Lemonade Kitty, The `Pretty Corsage` Angel....

A HUGE thanks to each of you for your thoughtfulness and kindness. x


Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Fairy Cakes and Lovely Makes.......

Nothing beats getting the mixing bowl out on a rainy Wednesday morning........aided and abetted by tiny hands.....



......but not all of the eggs made it into the bowl!....oops...it`s easy to miss when you`re perched atop a high bar stool!...
(note to self : hire a sander, as soon as..!)...

...and nobody cares if things get a little squished ......
...now shall we have plain butter icing?....
...nah, let`s go for chocolate!....
.....then when the funny looking little cakes are ready.......

....we`ll have a little taste....

...before we smother them in that ever-so-delicious chocolate butter icing and exuberantly sprinkle with hundreds and thousands! All in all, a good morning`s work, don`t you think?

To Be Continued.................






 

Moving Day

...in Blogland.   My new home is here Hope you'll join me soon. xxx