New House, New Baby and Sadness

April 2nd would have been Mam and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary,
 it was also  the day we moved house,

 from No 1 at the seaside to No3 in the country.

A new build overlooking the village green at the front and a dean at the back, its lovely for walking the dogs and riding our bikes but we're also close to shops so best of both worlds.

Earlier in the year I had an operation on my knee so while I'm on sick leave I've made the most of the nice weather potting up plants and designing the back garden, just waiting for the gardener to come and do some digging and planting.

The wildlife here in the country is amazing, there's red kites, owls, bats, deer in the field at the back and in the garden we have Jays, woodpeckers, blue tits, robins,

and these little fellas keep us amused with their antics!

 We have a large kitchen/ family room to fill so first stop was to visit Kathryn at My Vintage World
 for a cupboard to display my jelly moulds, and this was just what I was looking for.

Right shape, right colour and right size for the space, and it was soon filled with my jelly moulds  along with a few tins and packets.

Mr Postie delivered these lovely EB mugs,

just right for a brew and a slice of home made banana loaf, 

I could get used to this

 "being a lady of leisure" malarky, ha,

We have a gorgeous new grandbaby born to our son and his girlfriend or should that be" girlfriend and son" lol, absolutely beautiful and we're totally smitten, awwww.

(sorry no pics allowed on here)

Sadly, my very good friend died suddenly so we're off up to Northumberland to scatter her ashes at the place she loved most, RIP x

Lucey x

Birthdays and Beginnings

"Happy Birthday"

Today would have been my lovely Mam's birthday.

The photo in the middle is Mam on her wedding day and the other two are of Mam and Dad.

"Sending special birthday wishes up to you in heaven Mam xxx"

I'm busy packing my little suitcase full of scraps of fabric, hand written envelopes and coloured threads for a "Daisy Moon" workshop at Hope and Elvis studio this weekend.

The lovely Mandy is going to show us how to stitch the littlest of

 fabric shoes onto hand written envelopes.

How sweet are they?

Beautiful.

Lucey x

Happy New Year

It's all over for another year....how I hate that saying!

I love Christmas and all the trimmings that goes with it and I'm sorry to be putting everything away for another year, but needs must so I spent today taking down the trees, cards and decorations and storing them all in the garage until November when I can do it all again!

On Christmas Eve we went to the garden centre to feed the reindeer and this year they were very hungry. There's a little machine that you put £1 coin and and it spit's out a tiny amount of food, Rudolph and his friends gobbled it up from little outstretched hands.

Santa was good to me this year and brought me a set of 1950's babycham glasses,

a lovely biscuit tin that I filled with chocolate biscuits to have with a cuppa,

and my best present ever...Julie Arkell's new book.. Away.

Boxing Day afternoon all the family come, we exchanged presents, played games, wore silly hats and ate a lovely M&S buffet. After a few drinks some went home and some slept over, we talked long into the night about new beginnings....

I have some news to share.

Our son and his girlfriend are expecting a baby in the new year.....

We are all overjoyed at the patter of little feet once again coming into the family.

Lucey X

"All Done", "Trimmed Up" and "Ready".

Working in retail you get to chat to the customers
and this  past week I've been asked if I'm "all done"

 "trimmed up" and  "ready" for Christmas!

Well, I've filled scales with baubles and fairy lights

and hung new baubles on the tree,

 spent an hour studding oranges with cloves to go on the "penguin" plate,

 sprinkled  glitter on the gingerbread house and 

 hyacinth bulbs have been planted up in antique moulds. 

 We spent an afternoon gluing cookie cutters together
to make a wreath and  added some jingle bells, 

I've posted cards, wrapped  presents,
  iced the Christmas cake, done the "big shop"
filled jars with sweets and hung stockings.....

So yes I think I am

 "all done, "trimmed up" and "ready" for Christmas!

Are you??

Hope you all have a  merry Christmas
 and a very  happy and healthy new year.

Lucey x

A Very Special Parcel

I love it when the postman knocks on the door and you know he has a very special parcel for you.

One that you've waited patiently for.....and when it's opened you'll cherish  forever.

On Wednesday such a parcel arrived,

 I very gently opened the box  and nestled inside 

a mound of tissue paper was

 "The Perfect Disguise" 

The lovely Julie Arkell had an exhibition at Ruthin centre and I saw this creature and fell in love with her, she's
 "practically perfect in every way"
 as Mary Poppins would say,

 and is the perfect partner for  "Pretending to be someone else" .....friends forever.

There was also a new red watch
"Tic Toc"
right time twice a day!

"The Perfect Disguise" is numbered 49 and Julie wrote,

49, week 31

The Perfect Disguise.

Have wanted to use this lovely

 red cloak for ages, then the right

creature came along.

I feel like Santa arrived a week early......yippeeeeeee

Today we bought oranges to go in the toe of stockings, placed all the presents under the tree, iced the Christmas cake and had mince pies and mulled wine at the carol concert.......

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Lucey x

Tearoom's

I do like a nice tearoom and if you haven't yet been then you must!!

On Thursday we went to Stokesley for lunch at 

"Lotti's Voluptous Delights".

There was a sprinkling of Christmas outside the shop,

  little trees with twinkling lights were  set in vintage crates,

and the door wreath had teacups tied on it,

"Baby it's cold outside".

Inside we were taken to our table in the window that was filled with hand made cushions and the light  fittings all had lovely old lampshades on them.

We ordered  warm  brie and cranberry sandwiches and had a huge slice of salted caramel cake mmmm.....

Just a short bike ride from where we live there's another tea room opened,

"Glady's vintage tearoom"

which is all done out in 1940's style.

They open early for breakfast, we tried the "Tally Ho" which was lovely  and popped back another day for tea and cake which was served on lovely old china, just what we needed after a  bike ride.

Girls on the next table had the afternoon tea and  a 3 tier cake stand was filled with sandwiches, scones and cake which looked delicious....maybe next time!!

Have you got any nice tearooms to share?

Lucey x

Sparkle

 Stitching and sewing, painting and creating, Lynn from "Sea Angels" blog, makes the most wonderful fairytale things you can ever  imagine.

A couple of weeks ago I was reading her blog when I saw she had sewn onto an old hanky a beautiful scene which she was going to make into Christmas cards. No sooner had I left a comment saying how lovely the cards were than a parcel arrived through the letterbox.

The envelope in itself was a work of art and inside were 4 of the loveliest cards, all tied up with  gossamer ribbon.

Each of the cards had a different saying typed on the front, and just a hint of glitter.

and even the envelopes "sparkled" 

Not sure if I can bear to part with them, maybe I'll thread them onto ribbon and make a garland!

 Thank you Lynn I love them. x