Thursday 26 November 2015

My seasonal Mantel....




Oh my.... 
the weather has fast changed around here
....frosty nights with very chilly mornings,
not that I'm complaining 
I
LoVe
crisp air mornings with stunning sky's.


We had our first snow here.
It was literally just a sprinkling though
and it had gone just as fast as it came.

 

My scarf is coming along rather nicely....
hopefully ready to wear within days.

It will be very little like the one I set out to make
....not anything new there
I'm just no good at rigidly following instructions.
Maybe that is why I tend to make my own designs
rather then use someone else's. 
When I use a set pattern I always feel the need
to put my own spin onto it.


With the cold weather my yearning for Christmas started. 
So the first decorations snuck into my living-room
a couple of days ago ....just a few. 
I have to confess I'm rather thrilled
that this year I'm feeling the Christmas spirit again,
I was worried it had left me for good
after my lack of seasonal get-go last year!


My mantelpiece was given it's little Christmas spin.
I'm not a great planner
when it comes to my mantel decorations they just happen.
I take a little from here & a little for there
and somehow I'm always in LoVe with the finished look.
Every year I think that that years decorations are the best ever 
....only to find the following year
I think the same of that years decorations.    

2015 Christmas mantel was made with....
a old Christmas favoured
my little white tea light house & bottle brush trees
mixed with a World-map canvases bought this summer
 for a another home decor idea I had....


adding my trusty little red beetle....

 

 skis made from ice-lolly sticks....


two old jewellery boxes....

I especially love the frayed soft blue silk one,
it was handed-down to me by my favoured great aunt
she in-turn had it from her mother my great grandmother,
both were very stylish Lady's in there day.
The Lady's are no longer with us,
I love the idea though
 they are still very much part of our festive season
 trough the box.

 

 ....oh
and I better not forget the chocolate snowman
 ....just hoping he survives the season,
not end up melting in someone's mouth
(not mentioning anyone's name)
 before the month is over.



My favoured Christmas mantel....
until next year that is!


"NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS" 

XXXX




Sunday 15 November 2015

Paris on my mind....


 

As the news was unfolding on my TV screen late Friday evening 
disbelieving what I was seeing....
I was feeling
shocked....  dismayed.... angry... sad....
overwhelmingly sad,
that once again, people going about there everyday life
were murdered in cold blood. 

I wasn't surprised though,
I have come to realise years ago,
there are people that just want to hate
 they desire to spread fear & misery wherever they can.
I have long stopped asking why,  
the answers would never make sense to any 
reasonable person anyhow. 
And just like after school shootings I am not interested 
in the perpetrators names, faces or there life stories. 
They are not worthy of my time.


My thoughts are with
....the victims of Fridays atrocities 
....the beautiful city of Paris and its people.


My thoughts are with 
.....people who just wanted to enjoy 
the little things that make life 
beautiful & worth living for....

meeting family & friends 
eating out 
listening to a concert
taking a stroll on a mild evening

My thoughts are with
 ....people that embrace living life
in a free Europe!

"Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité"


 I for one have decided
the best way to honour those victims 
and to defeat the haters is
to 
LoVe & LiVe 
life to the full.


wishing you
peace 


XXXX


Thursday 12 November 2015

A little blanket Ta-Dah....

my last post made me realise....
I'm very good at sharing the beginnings of my projects
but not so great at showing you the finished pieces.
Thinking about it....
I often get so excited with my finished items
I have to use them
then & there forgetting to take any photos.  


Perfect example of this is my Babushka Rose blanket.


In March 2013 I shared it with you in the making
but I never had a Ta-Dah show-off it is so well worthy of.


So I'm thinking....
no time like the present ....

Ta-Da


 My Babushka Rose blanket in all it's glory.


Gosh.... I like this blanket so much.
No I am head over heels in LOVE with it!!!


Let me give you a bit of a behind-the-scenes to this blanket.
 Firstly let me say
I'm no crocheter by any stretch of the imagination,
I'm a fabriholic and sewing is my first love....
knitting & crocheting are hobby's I dip in & out of.
All that said though I do enjoy crocheting very much
I just find I need my patterns drawn rather than written.

We are a family loving to snuggle under blankets
any time of the year whilst watching the telly.
And no matter how many blanket we have
there is always room for one more.
In the past I have always opted for sewing our snuggle blankets
but after having discovered a little over two years ago
the amazing world of crocheting blogs I was drawn
  to try something new. 


Initially I had planned on a more traditional granny square design
but when I came across a photo of the Babushka Rose blanket by
Heidi from www.sewingdaisies.com.au 
I was smitten,
 then finding the pattern on her blog drawn
rather than written made me jump for joy.
I just had to give this one a go.


Quite a few month's, a couple of changes to the original pattern
and forty-two roses later came my biggest challenge.
Deciding on which method to use for put the squares together.
This is my first crochet blanket (but definitely not my last)
as well as my first exploration into the world of granny squares
so I found it difficult to visualize the finished look, 
holding my project up a few more month.
Sometimes though you just have to allow yourself time
to make the right choice.

 

I am so very pleased I did!


I had at first envisioned a much big fancy border,
but looking at the roses joined altogether, I changed my mind.
Sometimes less is really more,
this border allows the roses to be the stars that they deserve to be.
I loved working on this blanket and
crocheting makes such a nice change from sewing one. 

  
My colour choices for this blanket
were influenced by our other snuggle blankets.
A mix of soft pink with cream pale green & coral muted yellow
and a pooping red framed by baby blue all surrounded
with a dark denim blue.  
Sorry I don't have the actual colour no. any more.

For yarn I used Superfine Marino wool by Lana Grossa,
 

Here you have it

my
very very VERY
LOVELY
Babushka Rose blanket,
better late than never.

SOOOOOOOO worth a little Ta-Dah post!!!

Have a beautiful weekend. 
xxxx

Wednesday 11 November 2015

Feeling....

It's so grey here today.
Winds with drizzle rain today....
 just like yesterday & the day before that & the day before that.
Dreary days season has began.

Domestic delights otherwise known as housework 
were on my TO DO list for yesterday
but I just wasn't feeling it... 


I was feeling....
 candle light, fruit tea, yummy sweet tangerines 
  and creative time with wool.
A little bit of ME time in the morning just
while the house was blissfully quite.


I have started yet another scarf.
Inspired by the English Garden scarf
from a book by Kazuko Ryolai called in it's German version 
Vintage Häkeln but I believe it's originally a Japanese crochet book. 


For my colour choice....
I have fallen head over heals for a Tilda fabric 
I used to up-cycle my tweed jacket a few weeks back.
I'm not normally a Tilda person but this fabric does it for me.
I love everything about it ESPECIALLY the colours!!!
When I came across this wool
by Debbie Bliss which perfectly matches the fabrics colours,
I know it was the only way to go.  


Honestly....
when I sat down, I had every intention 
after my pot of tea was finished
 to get up and get on with my day of domestic delights.
 (I think I call it that to make it sound more appealing to me. 
Not that it really works)

This is the thing with intentions though....
there only that
....intentions.

By early afternoon I was all tea-ed out 
but still not feeling it.... 
 half the day over, baby paperdoll home from school 
and the sky still covered by a thick grey blanket
 the housework just had to wait for another day. 
I was feeling...


 board games & hot chocolate 
I love playing board games, 
even though most of the times I'm the looser
much to the delight of baby Paperdoll,
we still have to practice a little
....be a humble winner and a dignified looser bit. 

I had a nice day doing just what I felt like 
a real luxury for me.


Today 
I'm still not feeling it on the domestic front

I'm feeling....
Christmas decorations 
unfortunately they will have to wait though for a few days as
I do really really really have to focus on my housework. 


XXXX


Sunday 1 November 2015

A walk in the park....


Temperatures beautifully mild and the sun shining
 we went for a long walk on Sunday....


in Sanssouci Park, Potsdam 
a former royal park it is always worth a visit.



At this time of the year though
the colours are especially stunning....


reds....oranges....yellows 
mix in with greens.


Sparkling in the sun....


....Amber keeps coming to mind.




With the park slowly going into hibernation


I am so pleased 
we made it before it's all wrapped up for the winter.


I adore the beautiful architectural details

 
I find inspiration from them.


Stunning views everywhere


....not all ruins are what they seem.


Walking through the park....
 I love the contrasts.


The Tea pavilion


in chinoiserie style is breath taking 
any day sunny or not.



I love how the late afternoon sun 
makes the gold glow so warmly.


For me
Sunday was a beautiful walk in the park
....literally!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!


XXXX