Sunday 15 June 2014

Sunday Smiles

Making these smiley posts can be quite challenging trying to narrow down the choices, there are so many things that you lovely crafters have made that make me smile every day and motivate me to make some of the same.

I made these necklaces a while back especially with Summer in mind

So easy and quick to make and lovely and light to wear.  I have ordered more beads and I'm making some to match  my summer wardrobe and of course to give away to family and friends.   Aren't they pretty you can find out how to make them here.



This is what made me remember those necklaces..Elizabeth is making these bracelets such fun and all the rage now here in England, there is a video tutorial on Elizabeth's blog, I must make some of those to complement my necklaces, an ideal summer project don't you think. 

Remember the tree from last week?

Thank you for all your suggestions, I had to find out what is was once and for all so I sneaked out to take a cutting under the cloak of darkness then when stretching up on my tip toes I realised that it was two trees together and the one with the pink flowers was a Hawthorn, it's branches were intermingled with the other tree, so problem solved, I hadn't realised that Hawthorns could grow so high, it made a beautiful display but the flowers have all gone now, the heavy rains we have been having didn't help.

Another thing that made me smile this week was a meeting with my Loving Hands group. We meet up once a month and usually go for a meal at the local garden centre.

Chicken in white wine and mushroom sauce, followed by pavlova, I know what you are thinking so where is the pavlova....well I ate it as soon as I saw it without even thinking of taking a photo, that is until it was gone...too late sorry, all I can say is it was sooo yummy.


After the garden centre we adjourn to my house to do some crafting and even though we had eaten that meal we still had room for a piece of Barbara's lovely lemon cake it was delicious. :)

Meet my new friend

I love these tortoises, the man who makes these stone ornaments lets me have them for free because I get him so many orders from work. 



Now we have a Daddy tortoise, two Mummy tortoises and a baby. 

You will never guess what??? I won on the premium bonds again!


I never win a thing for years and then win twice within the space of a month! So I will be adding this £25 to the other I won here, I have been very good and haven't even spent it yet, but I may get yarn for a project for me...I have seen a crochet jacket pattern that I quite like...


What do you think? it looks simple enough, will I have the patience to finish it? will it fit? I'm thinking about it, do you think it looks old fashioned?... be honest!  What colour do you think?  I haven't made anything for myself for ages, when I do I never like it.
This is the yarn used in the pattern I quite like seashells or maybe the dip dye blue, then again the denim wash would go with so many colours ??????

Garden pretties that are making me smile this week.
Foxgloves
I love Foxgloves, I just let them self seed every year and they spring up all over the place and that is fine by me, my garden has changed from carefully manicured neat perfection which I strived for at it's creation to a just do as you like wild haven for any stray seed that finds it's way in.  I do get rid of most of the weeds but even some of the weeds are pretty and if they are I let them stay.  What kind of garden is yours is it neat and tidy or a little wild like mine ?

I hope next week is a good one for all of us :)






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16 comments:

  1. Lovely nappies.... Well done on the Lottery win x

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  2. Some lovely pictures there, Linda - and thanks for the heads-up about the necklaces. I need to make a quick (cheap) pressie, and one of those would fit the bill nicely. Have a great week, and keep smiling. Chris x

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  3. It sounds as though you have had a great week Linda!!! Some cheer for you that is well deserved. Your tortoises are lovely, it is so great that you have a whole family of them! I hope that you find something nice to buy with your winnings!! Oh, and I meant to say, well done for the plant identification, I never would have guessed hawthorn, it is nice to know though and it is a lovely plant isn't it! Hope that you have a great week. xx

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  4. You have so many lovely things to smile about this week :-) Thanks for sharing, Linda. I love the turtles and the flowers. The jacket is very pretty; I think if you use the right colors it won't look old fashioned at all. Something bright, I think. Have a wonderful day :-)

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  5. Lovely necklace ! You take inspiration everywhere...
    Love your flowers !
    Have a great and smily week !
    Anna

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  6. I love the look of the sweater pattern. It's a little old-fashioned maybe, but that's a good thing in my opinion! Congrats on the win, you're a lucky lady. Those turtles are really cool, what a nice gift. Hope you have a good week, Linda.

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  7. I thought those tortoises were REAL. He must be so clever to make them. As for the crochet cardigan, I've never crocheted anything that actually has to fit a human being! If I did, I might choose the grape colour. It wouldn't go with many things, but it's very pretty.

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  8. What a great post Linda, those necklaces look like fun to make, yes do make some bracelets too, they would compliment your summer wardrobe nicely and at a fraction of the cost of shop bought. Well done on identifying the bushes/trees, I am hopeless at such things. Here in Crete there are some beautiful flowering plants, all kinds, I don't know what they are but I do know they're pretty to look at.
    Those tortoise ornaments are wonderful, no wonder the maker has so many orders. I did have a look at the link for the yarn, dip dye blue (out of stock atm) with pumice is my first choice. Seashells is pretty, but I am not a pink kind of gal lol. The actual pattern is okay, not for me perhaps, I would probably shorten it a bit. It does look straight forward to do though and I don't think you'll have to much of a problem working it. It will be a bigger (longer) project than your used to, but there's no hurry to finish it.
    I like your attitude towards your garden, why fight nature when she does such a fine job on her own
    Bye for now xxx

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  9. Love those tortoises! :)The necklaces are beautiful too. Congratulations on your win too! :)

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  10. Congrats on your bonds win Linda and all the best with working out a lovely project for YOU! Your necklaces are lovely - I did see Elisabeth's bracelet the other day, so lovely! I didn't know that hawthorne came in any other colour but white, and such a lovely pink it is too! Your tortoises look so real - I really thought they were! Sounds like you've been having lovely sociable times with friends, and eating pavlova AND cake - and why not!
    Have a happy week, but not too much cake! xoJoy

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  11. First of all i love the beaded necklaces they are so lovely. And hooray for you on the win!!!! You simply must buy yarn for that jacket, it is so beautiful and you deserve it. You stash bust so much some lovely new yarn is in order.
    Love your flowers and those turtles are amazing.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  12. Lovely post Linda. Love the necklaces and wrist band. I dont think the pattern is too old fashion. I personally like denim wash. Congrats on the win.

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  13. These necklaces are wonderful Linda-thank you so much for sharing, I have just been over to find the instructions as I have been working with ';toto' large seed beads and this is a perfect way to use them. I love your tortoises-you take me back to when I was a girl. I had a tortoise called 'Lumpy'. he walked very fast and sadly one day walked off for good. I should have had one of these then he would have stayed put! Great post Linda and have a lovely week, Alison xx

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  14. You've got lots to smile about here Linda! Love the poncho ... pink & white are so bright and summery. Your beaded necklaces are so pretty. My daughter and I were on a big 'friendship bracelet' kick a couple of summers ago, and we loved making all different patterns. I still have a jar of them that I hand out to kids every so often when they visit. I like the tortoise family too, lucky you to have a free collection. I tried foxglove for the first time last year, but it didn't come back so I won't waste my money there again. Your foxglove look amazing though. Have a great week. Wendy x

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  15. What pretty necklaces - and yes, you should definitely make the cardigan! Though I can't advise on the colour I think it would look pretty in just about any shade.

    Beautiful foxgloves. :)

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  16. The wild look is the best in my opinion. It takes the least work and the least water and looks great. Foxgloves are beautiful.

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