Crochet Coasters

  

I am hooked (sorry no pun intended) to these fabulous crocheted coasters.  I discovered the pattern here and haven't been able to stop.  These are just a few I've made but there are others all over the house, hiding under cups, plant pots, vases of flowers and another little stash of them on a shelf under one of my side tables just waiting to be called into action. 

The pattern is for the size of the pink ones in the photo which are perfect cup coaster size.  But by just adding more and more rounds it's very easy to expand to pretty much any size I'm guessing although I can only vouch for going as large as this sunshine yellow one which is roughly 20cm diameter.  

They are so quick to make as well which is probably why I find them so addictive, kind of therapeutic in a way in their straightforwardness and very satisfying to be able to produce something gorgeous so fast.  I have a larger crochet project on the go mentioned in my Snow Day post but I keep popping back to this pattern to get that quick project fix where in an evening I can make several little ones or a larger one, get all the ends sewn in and be using it...as quick as that.  I guess sometimes I need the odd hare project to help my on with my tortoise one.

It's a very straight forward pattern just basically rounds of double crochet (UK terms) making a lovely close, smooth finish just perfect for placing full cups of steaming tea on.

A very dear friend popped over a couple of weekends ago and gave me this stunning orchid.  I'm pretty nervous as I've not had much luck with orchids before but I'm trying to be very attentive to this one and so far so good.  It seems quite happy in it's spot on top of the piano so fingers crossed.

 These blue ones are actually a gift and created from a thicker yarn making them feel slightly more robust than the pink and yellow ones I crocheted in DK yarn but I still think they work OK.

I haven't tried making them in cotton yarn yet but I do have some odds and ends of Debbie Bliss cotton so that could be my next interruption from my ripple blanket when I need another quick fix.

Valentines Felt Flowers

I love flowers.  I love buying them, receiving them, arranging them and picking them from our garden, however there's not a lot of floral colour in our garden in at the moment, although the shoots of spring bulbs are starting to poke through the ground promising beautiful flowers soon to be.

If I'm honest we're not into big Valentine's Day presents in our house..  That's not to say that we don't show our love and affection for each other, we absolutely and thankfully do that but just not in a big showy way on actual Valentine's Day if you get what I'm saying.  In fact, this Valentine's Day after the girls dancing and swimming classes, we met up with some very fabulous friends of ours for ten pin bowling and a pizza tea....romantic it wasn't but fun, easy going and a very cherished time with true and treasured friends, it certainly was.

This year I decided that I would make us our very own 12 valentines roses mixing traditional crimson red with shocking bright pinks.  I love working with felt, the colours are so vivid and it's a great fabric for structure creating.  I cut the felt for the roses and the leaves free hand so each one is truly individual just like living roses.  The rose stems are made from sticks and twigs from our garden following a big pruning session that have been hanging in the garage drying out waiting to be put to good use.

Here's 3 felt flower facts for you...
1. They don't need their water changing, obviously as they don't need water at all...fact!
2. They don't wrinkle, droop and die...fact!
3. Yet they do have all the elegance, colour and charm of live blooms and like real roses, each one is unique....OK this one is more of my opinion rather than fact but I'm running with it!

Here they are in my living room standing tall and proud.  They'll be hanging around and still looking gorgeous way past Valentine's day.

I made some individual ones for a couple of close friends too.  Flowers are for sharing.

Which is your favourite, the pink or red?  I just can't decide.

Snow Day

 What a treat, a lovely snowy walk to school this morning through Old Town Gardens

In some places ours were the first footprints in the snow.

The sun just peeping over the houses ready to start making the snow glisten.

Miss E making her footprints in the untouched snow on the path around the snowy flower bed.

Miss M and her cheeky "it wasn't me who threw that snowball honest" face on!

What goes brilliantly with snowy days?  Warm snugly crocheted blankets that's what.  Shame my one is still work in progress.

I'm about half way I think, depending on how big I decide to go.  It is lovely and warm to have it on my knee while hooking away so I know it's going to keep the chills out when it's finished.

Dinos and Volcanoes

 I had a fabulous time on Friday morning at Miss E's Stay and Play at school making junk model dinosaurs.  Miss E has named hers Benosaurus.  Personally I think Sellotaposaurus would have been more appropriate!  There is no way this dino is going to fall apart!

I love the tongue she made for him.  Dinosaurs is Miss E's topic at school and to be fair she didn't warm to it at first, it's been a bit of a slow burn but she's enjoying it now thankfully.

And if junk model dinos weren't enough, Mr M and Miss E made Dino Bread yesterday.  Miss E often has a piece of the dough to make a mouse or hedgehog bread but we've not had a dino one before.

Miss E has very proudly and generously taken hers into school this morning to share with her classmates.  That spiky tail is going to be lovely and crunchy.

 

Once we got our dino mojo there was no stopping up!  Next up this purple pterodactyl, again with plenty of sellotape which Miss E seems to be obsessed with! 

Pretty fierce hey?

I just love the little feet she cut out after we looked at some images as I couldn't answer "how many toes do pterodactyls have Mummy?"  Four just in case you were wondering and couldn't quite work it out from this purple fellow...at least the image we looked at had four but I'm no dino expert.

You can have too much of a good thing though so as Miss E is convinced that the next topic will be butterflies (I think this is just her wishful thinking) we made a very glamorous butterfly too.

I'm rather jealous of these amazing eyelashes.

Miss M's topic is volcanoes and she was very pleased to be cast as a Volcanologist in her class assembly last week.  We borrowed a white lab coat from a friend and then donned some fake specs (as obviously all scientists where glasses!!) and made a security badge.

Can you believe Miss M is only 9 years old...this get up made her look so mature.

It was a fabulous assembly and everyone one in her class was brilliant.  They finished singing Bastille's Pompeii with great gusto.

Just in case you're wondering, the big purple flower is purely to cover up others who were in the photo background.

Winter Walks in January

Although, as I've said before, I'm quite a January fan and look at it as a time for making new plans and setting goals in place for the year...plans an goals that will undoubtedly change as the year goes on but it's a starting place for me never the less.

So armed with plenty of hand cream, lip balm and winter woollies here are some January highlights...

Stopping on an early January walk for a chocolate fuel break of hot chocolate and some goodies from our Christmas Section Boxes! Oh and a family selfie...cheese!

Miss M and I in our matching bobble hats and matching smiles.

Miss M and I in our matching bobble hats and matching smiles.

Hazy winter sunshine over the Wiltshire Ridgeway.

Just can't get enough of this sunshine and clear blue skies.

Sharing the field with a few cows but nobody else was about.

 Exploring the ancient iron age hill fort of Barbury Castle.

Running up a hill to keep warm although this photo doesn't really to the steepness of this hill any justice.

Hazy views over the Downs.

Heading back with muddy wellies, holding hands and smiling.

Yep more hot chocolate, it makes a good  walk into a great walk!

It's really tricky to smile for the camera whilst looking into the sun...

No we just can't do it, that sunshine is just too bright and lovely.

Sometimes we collect treasures on our walks like this massive stick!

And find secret pathways.

Mr M and Miss M playing the spotting game...

...and then having a hug.  Miss E is on a duck hunt with her bag of duckfood.

We live very close to Old Town Gardens and enjoy it at all times of the year.  Definitely one of my favourite places.

A late afternoon stroll and bike ride as the shadows get longer and the birds start to gather in the tree tops.

Miss E's pedal reflectors being lit up by the low sunshine

The very last rays of sun through the band stand before it dips behind the trees until tomorrow.

And for those days when it's too cold and wet to go out, we light a fire, put on some music and get out the board games.  One of our current favourites is Mr M's Super Pictionary.  Can you guess any of them?  Some of them we still a bit puzzling even when we'd had the answer revealed!!