Happy New Year!

To all my friends and followers, may next year bring you everything you wish for.

I can't compete with the pyrotechnics around the world but from my little, Welsh kitchen I bring you this!

I know! It's the best I could do with such short notice. These events tend to creep up on me!

I don't make New Year's resolutions because I know I'm fickle and have no will power. Lots have people have put it better than me. Chose your favourite and cut and paste!

Have a great 2012!

Many years ago I resolved never to bother with New Year's resolutions, and I've stuck with it ever since.  ~Dave Beard

I made no resolutions for the New Year.  The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.  ~Anaïs Nin


The proper behavior all through the holiday season is to be drunk.  This drunkenness culminates on New Year's Eve, when you get so drunk you kiss the person you're married to.  ~P.J. O'Rourke


People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.  ~Author Unknown


We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.  Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.  ~Ellen Goodman


New Year's Eve, where auld acquaintance be forgot.  Unless, of course, those tests come back positive.  ~Jay Leno

New Year's resolution

I must lose weight!

My jumpsuits are beginning to rise up. Just look at the before and after Christmas photos!

Greater Manchester Police

That's like Great Britain as opposed to Lesser Britain. The main island containing England , Scotland and, most importantly, Wales and all the 1000 or so little islands.

It doesn't mean that they are the best but it means that they are bigger. They might be the best but I don't know because I don't live in Manchester so I can't tell you.

Anyway, what I was going to tell you was that GMP have posted a great (meaning simply the best) picture on their Flickr page.

They are girls apparently but don't mind being called guys.

Thank you GMP and Merry Christmas girls!

White Christmas

It doesn't look as if it's going to be a white Christmas this year. The temperature is set to rise tomorrow. Last week we had ridiculous weather, lightening storms and hail showers. This was followed by frosty nights.

There is still snow on the mountains although we had rain at lower altitudes. So I'm going to image a white Christmas.




In our household Christmas will be an occasion for the family to get together rather than a big shopping bonanza. Whatever way you do it have a good week.

Happy birthday

When you think that life can't get any worse you have another birthday and somebody gives you this as a present.

Happy birthday, Phil.

You can find Phil here. Now you know he's got a sense of humour!

Colour of 2012

Tangerine Tango

This is one way to brighten up a miserable Sunday afternoon in December. Let's take a closer look at the Colour of 2012. In Pantone's own words,
 
Provocative Tangerine Tango, an enticing juicy orange, is a vivacious and appealing refresher to enliven anyone’s outlook this spring.
 
I've got to say it's mouthwatering in its appeal. A hint of tangerine with neutrals is probably the way I'd go. I don't really want to look as if I've been tangoed.
 
As usual the sellers at Etsy have a fantastic range of items if you want to try this out before spring. 

 

Enjoy!

Double century

Thanks to the lovely people at Folksy I've reached 100 followers in my 100th post. Special thanks to Hippywitch, Ritzy Swish and Charlotte from Orange Blossom Felt.

Charlotte is in Spain teaching English at the moment. I'll feature her shop in the new year. Let's look at the other lovely ladies in the meantime.

Lorraine, from Hippywitch, loves to make things. She can sew, crochet, knit. Her cross stitch pieces are lovely. If you're still stuck for that certain individual Christmas decoration you'll find lots to chose from. You can see more of Lorraine's work on Hippywitch Crafts blog and at her Etsy shop.

I love this little mushroom house.
The sunny yellow door and turquoise curtains are appliqued to the house and then all the detail is carefully stitched. The fairy lights are lit around the roof too!








This pretty double heart hanging has cross stitch hearts in red on a white aida fabric for a two tone finish.





Ritzy Swish's work spans the realms of textiles products, textiles art and mixed media. She's environmentally conscious and has expanded into recycled fabrics. Check out her great blog

I love this circular drawstring wash bag. Made from turquoise cotton, with red and white feature fabric with coordinating red lining. It has four internal compartments to stand bottles.

 

In this piece an Indian silk panel has been combined with indigo denim. Pieces of patterned Indian silk have been appliquéd by free machining to form the decorative panel.

Have a great weekend!

Pantone Colour of the Year 2012

Tangerine Tango


As a way of celebrating my 100th blog post I'm looking forward to next year. What better way to celebrate than by having a closer look at the Pantone colour of 2012.

2012? I can hardly believe it's weeks away. I'm really excited by it.

As befitting a launch of such an important event Pantone have described Tangerine Tango PANTONE 17-1463 as a spirited reddish orange, continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward.

The press release says,
“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

Catable?

My thoughts on dressing up pets have changed over the years. Our first cat Mickey (after the mouse) liked to be dressed up and pushed around in a pram. He looked good in a baby bonnet and could really carry off a frilly dress.

I'm a grown up now and Mickey went to cat heaven a long time ago. I hadn't thought of him for a long time until I read Marilyn's blog and I found this,

Simply gorgeous from Getting stitched on the farm.

Now do you think Dizzy would oblige? Or perhaps Posie? Oh, heck I might just have to 'borrow' a lamb from my friend Jan!

I've bin wheelie busy!

I love a challenge so when I was asked to make baby toys I said, 'Yes, please!'

This was the brief;
1x green wheelie bin
1x learner driver L plate
1x dumbbell/weight
1x traffic cone
with rattles or bells

Now, when I said I love a challenge, I'm somebody who has never, ever tackled aruga amiga amigurumi. So where to start?

For lots of reasons this week I'm loving Etsy. You can find just about anything. I found a pattern for dumbbells in my first search. Bought, paid for and completed in one night. How's that for service? Thank you, Celina from Simply Collectible

Next the L plate. It turned out larger than I planned but it is a good compact, pillow size. Something to cwtch up to.

Two down!

The next two presented much more of a challenge. Just where to start? There is a free pattern for traffic cones somewhere but it didn't work out for me. So I found a basic cone shape, fine. For the base I made a circle. You know, one of those flat circles where if you put the increases in the same place all the way round you actually end up with an octagon type flat circle. I made two for a firmer base and stitched the corners for support.

Weally? A wheelie bin? Celina has a great Oscar in a garbage can pattern but there's something quintessentially British about a wheelie bin. At least I had the basic shape. I started with a square and using Celina's back post idea for dents I marked the corners. It was straight crochet until I reached a sensible height. Made another square but slightly bigger for the top and decided to join it to the bin on one side so that it flipped back.

All of them have rattles. All finished. Mission achieved!

Have a great weekend!