Food Glorious Food

Food has always played a big part in my life i.e I eat way too much of the stuff, lol I used to be really bothered about being over weight and hated how I looked, but over recent years I've grown to be a lot more comfortable in my own skin. I haven't given up my eternal goals of getting fitter and losing a few more pounds but I just don't beat myself up over it as much these days.

Bubbling pans and a big pot of veg curry

Although I've always enjoyed eating food until recently I never felt very comfortable in the kitchen doing the actual cooking. That has really changed recently and with a bit of practise and plenty of encouragement I've discovered a real love of gathering up lovely fresh raw ingredients and cooking from scratch.

Home Grown Chillis

I'm not sure why the sudden sea change, maybe it's just me that's changed, maybe my memories have become twisted over time but when I look back now meal times used to be about cooking something as fast and convenient as possible to quickly satisfy rumbling tummies and make more time to move on to other things.

Candlelit dinner for two

These days I don't worry if dinner takes 2 hours to prepare and cook as I know they will be 2 hours filled with laughter and chatter and the sharing of the days highs and lows. The main problem these days is we both love to cook, so there is always a fight about who is going to be the day's head chef :) Maybe this hat, as modelled by the lovely Mr Tickle, will help :)

So now I'm getting better in the kitchen if anyone wants to share there favourite home cook recipes please feel free :)

Red and White - Part Four

As I hoped I managed to get some time sat at the machine over the weekend and the red and white top is actually finished :) The third round got stitched together and added on in no time and looked like this.The final round gave me a few problems. I'm still not sure why I suspect that I managed to cut a couple of pieces slightly the wrong size or something, but after a couple of attempts I managed to get it all stitched on.So this is what the finished top looks like. It's not a huge quilt at about 44" square but perfect for a lap quilt, something cosy to snuggle up under while chilling on the sofa.I love how this is turning out. I love the scrappy feel of all those different red fabrics that have been thrown together and how the red really pops against the contrasting crispness of the white borders.

Next thing to do is piece together something for the back and then the quilting can begin :)

Have you heard about ...

.... the Lark Crafts/Aimee Ray Doodle Stitch - A - Long? I love Aimee Ray's cute and whimsical designs so could resist the urge to join in. There will be a pattern every week for the next 4 weeks to stitch.

When you download the pattern it comes in two different sizes. A while ago I bought these plain cotton coasters with a crocheted edge from my local pound store, with the idea of using them to add little embroidery designs too.The smaller of the design print outs seemed the perfect size for one of these coasters so I dug them out from their hiding place and have transferred this weeks pattern.Now all I have to do is find the time to stitch it. :)

A day at the Beach

I have a day off work today but things aren't quite going as planned and I'm feeling pretty grumpy. So in an attempt to chase away the blues thought I'd share yesterday's happy memories of a walk by the sea.Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful blue skies and sunshine day so what better place to spend it than at the beach.Although Weston-Super-Mare is less than an hour away I haven't been there in ages, and certainly not since the pier has been rebuilt (it got burnt down in a fire a couple of years ago).I have to say that I really like the nice new clean bright white building, may be it was just the fact that the lovely blue skies and sunshine made it all bright and shiney, lol.The amusement arcade is now a two floor affair and you can get out onto the balcony on the second floor and look back along the covered walk way that has been constructed down the middle of the pier, perfect for sheltering from those sea breezes.Of course we couldn't resist playing a silly game or two while we were there. I won this one :)
I really quite liked this simple shot of railings and shadows in the bright sunshine.and I love this shot of Dave standing on the beach by the pier enjoying the sunshine.Lots of lovely blue and white in these shots. We were so lucky to have a beautiful day like this is January. After all the walking and energy exerted hitting sharks on the head, the only thing left to do was eat a lovely fish and chip lunch.Very naughty but very nice.

Oscar in the Rain

Scraphappy Saturday and Multitasking

I don't often post twice in one day, but I couldn't resist telling you about a challenge that I have signed up for this year. The 2011 Rainbow Scrap challenge on the So Scrappy blog (you might have noticed the new button on my side bar). I have to confess that as I haven't really made many quilts in my lifetime I don't have a large amount of scraps, but over the last few years I've made a lot of fabric postcards and I have little cartons full of small scraps. As I'm not making so many postcards these days I figured this challenge would be the perfect way to use some of these up. January's colour is blue, so today found me emptying the blue box on the floor........ and starting to think about what I might do for the challenge. After not too much thinking time (my brain can't cope with being used too much at the weekend, lol) I have decided on a bit of multi-tasking.

I was lucky enough to receive a Kindle this Christmas from the wonderful man in my life, so making a Kindle pouch was on my list of things to do. I found this great project designed by the very talented Terri, over on the 3creative studios website. So I'm going to combine the challenge and the pouch making and voila I'll have killed two birds with one stone as the saying goes. Wish me luck....

Red and White - Part Three

I've been busy cutting, stitching and rejoining. You can tell how much I'm enjoying this project just by how quickly it's coming together. I've given up making resolutions this year but I have made a little promise to myself to try and do something creative everyday, even if I only get to squeeze in 10 or 15 minutes. The last few evenings have seen me squirrelled away in the sewing room using the creative time I promised myself to make the next units for the red quilt. I love that they are all formed using random combinations of fabric and different size strips, yet the pieces themselves all wind up the same size. To these yummy red squares got added some strips of white and voila the next border is done and joined to the chequer board. I've managed to upload this picture upside down and I really can't be bothered to delete it and try and sort it out. To be honest I don't think it really matters, you get the idea.

Two more borders to add and the top will be finished. I have the pieces cut already so just the stitching together to do, which I'm sure I'll make time for this weekend :)

Winter Rambling

This last weekend was a lovely long one as we had the bank holiday to welcome in the New Year. We spent New Years Eve celebrating with some good friends, then had a nice lazy 1st of January. On Sunday though we polished off the walking boots and took a wander down some country lanes to see what we could see and to maybe work off one or two of the excess Christmas calories.As you can tell from this first picture it was a pretty grey day so maybe not the best for photography, but it was lovely to see some green again now the snow has disappeared.Even on a grey day there is plenty to see and wonder at if you just keep your eyes peeled. I couldn't get a good picture but I love the little red shoots on these thorny branches, a gentle reminder that nature is beginning to think about awakening and regrowth again.We wandered past a field of mud covered cows. They were hiding behind a hedge and I think they were fascinated by this silly human who kept trying to shove her camera through the gaps in the hedge, shouting at them to say cheese.After keeping the cows entertained for a while our wander continued down the lanes. Passing more green fields and verge side plants.Before reaching the village that was our destination we stumbled across some more large animals to talk to.This chap was pretty friendly so we passed the time of day and left with a promise to bring polos next time we passed his way.After walking in that cold it was time to venture to village pub and enjoy some refreshment by the open fire before making the journey home again. Can't think of a nicer way to pass some free time on a winters day.

The weekend is almost upon us again, we have no particular plans I guess we'll just see where the mood takes us. Whatever you're up to hope you have a lovely time this weekend.

Red and White - Part Two

I am really enjoying working on the red and white quilt and touch wood it seems to be coming together without too many problems so far. It's fun working with all the different reds and I think the crispness of the white makes the colours and patterns pop out even more. I have to admit that I didn't really like a couple of the fabrics that were in my box of reds, but actually when they are cut down in to smaller units and rejoined they take on a different look and I can say there isn't anything in this first part that I don't like anymore. Here is the first part complete. I now have to make a border of square within square units to add to the chequer board. So I'm off to starting chopping up the reds again. :) Am still feeling hopeful that I might meet my target of getting this quilt made by the end of the month.

Winter Sunrise

Celebrate with me

2011 has started on a really positive note, I'm feeling so happy at the moment but the pessimist in me is wondering when the bubble is going to burst.There are still a couple of potential clouds hanging over us at the moment, so I'm sure we'll be experiencing a storm or two in the future but hopefully these things will get sorted in the next few months. In the meantime I'm going to keep riding the happy wave and celebrate every day that brings happiness and smiles. Cheers. xxx

Lakeside Farm

I've already introduced you to my first new quilting project of 2011. Time for the new cross stitch to be introduced. The tigers will still be in the mix but as you know they are one of my Mum's UFOs and I figured it would be nice to start a brand new cross stitch too.I bought this kit, called Lakeside Farm, while on holiday last June and as yet it hasn't seen the light of day. I fell in love with the image as it really reminded me of a scene from my favourite Buttermere. We're hoping there is a chance that we might get back to the Lakes for maybe a week in May or June so it would be nice to have this well under way by then.

I think I'm going to work this in a monthly rotation with the tigers, so January will see the start of Lakeside Farm. I wonder how much progress I'll have to show you at the end of the month. January is traditionally quite a quiet month after the manic festivities of December so maybe that'll mean a good amount of stitching time. We'll see. In the meantime the first few stitches have been made.

Let's Go Fly A Kite

The snow has pretty much disappeared around these parts now, but before it went we had time for one last foray in to the white world on my first ever kite flying adventure. A couple of months ago I had this dream that I was flying a kite on the beach. Never had a kite as a kid but since the dream it's been on my list of things to do before I die, lol.Dave remembered my dream and bought me a fabulous rainbow coloured beginners stunt kite for Christmas. You might be able to imagine how happy and excited I was opening up such a thoughtul gift.My first flying attempts didn't happen on the beach as you can see we were in a snowy field. Not the best day for photography or flying, but we had great fun trying to find somewhere exposed enough for a bit of breeze (I just couldn't wait for a properly windy day!!).After a couple of false starts and trying to get to grips with some basic knots for the control strings we had an absolutely brilliant couple of hours kite flying. I have to confess that it took me until almost the end of our outing to get to grips with it and get the kite in the air for more than a few seconds but when I did I just couldn't stop laughing and smiling.
This last shot is of me pretending to be a kite flying master, and actually it wasn't long after this that I did manage to get the kite up in the air. Can't wait to take it out again. Next stop the beach so I can really make that dream I had come true. X

Red and White - Part One

Well I figured a good way to kick off the year would be to tell you all about my new quilting project. My partner Dave really liked the quilt I made for Nan and as we've been happily together for a while now I thought it was high time I made him his own quilt to snuggle under while on the sofa in front of the TV.
I'm using this lovely pattern which I purchased on Etsy here.

I decided to do things slightly different in that I'm going to use all red fabrics rather than a mix.First step has seen me cutting 256 (yes you read that right!) little red and white squares. I have been out and specifically bought the right yardage of the white fabric but all the reds are coming from what I already had. I think I used just about every red in the collection.
Am now in the process of chain piecing these squares. It's going to take a while to get these all joined up in to rows but I'm sure it'll be worth it.
The pile of joined squares is already building up on the desk behind my machine. Hopefully I'll have the first part of the quilt ready to share soon. I'm setting myself a little goal of having this quilt done by the end of January, but it's a very loose target and I won't be beating myself up if I don't get there. At the end of the day there is still life to be lived so it will take as long as it takes.

Welcome 2011

Hello 2011.

Are you celebrating the New Year in style?

I know I already told you yesterday but I'm going to say it again I have big plans and dreams for this year, hopefully you will feel like sticking around and sharing the journey with me. I really appreciate those of you who take the time to read my ramblings and maybe leave me a comment here and there.

I'm not going to say too much about travel plans and the adventures I'm dreaming of for this year. I'll wait until things are booked as I don't want to jinx anything and although some money has been put aside for trips you never know what's round the corner, what emergencies may crop up to stand in the way of dreams but I'm really hopeful that things will be really good.

In the meantime I can tell you about some of the smaller plans.

In March I'm off to Amsterdam for a long weekend. I'm going to be let loose in the city on my own for 3 days. I've been given some wonderful books and info leaflets about the city so will begin planning in earnest now to make the most of my stay.

Creatively I will continue working on Siberian Gold and also I have a cross stitch kit that I bought in the lakes last year that hasn't seen the light of day yet, so that will definitely be coming out to play.

Finishing my Nan's quilt for Christmas made me realise how much I'd been missing quilting so my first big project of the year will be a quilt for Dave.

I have many more ideas bubbling away in my head but I think that's a good start for now don't you?

Happy New Year to you all