A year in review

I started this blog about a year ago today and it really has changed my life. I do not know where I would be without blogging, it has opened up another world to me and made me feel part of something where before I felt so alone. No longer do I feel like some loony sitting at home making things and thinking, fantasising about the future, photographing my life and wanting to share my art and creativity with the world, I now know that I am part of something huge, I am not a complete weirdo alone in my little house, but am doing what hundreds, nay, thousands of women are doing all over the world.  I cannot wait to see what 2011 brings me, if it changes me as much as 2010 then I am expecting for big things. I cannot thank you all enough for reading my blog, leaving your lovely comments and making me feel special and noticed every single day.  I am really looking forward to continuing to share my life with you all through the coming year.  Please enjoy looking at these photos of the past year as a review of 2010:

Weekend in Wales with family and friends of old, it was amazing and I felt happy,

 Lots of snow, three days off school!

 Thoughtful valentines presents from lovely hubby, our first Valentines day as husband and wife,

A week in Germany visiting friends, more snow!

Finally spring arrives, start coming out of winter hibernation,

Another trip to Wales, mysterious fog on the beach, beautiful weather, felt alive,

My 27th birthday, feel so different to when I was 24, the world is starting to make sense, I am beginning to know myself,

My sister's amazing fashion show, so proud of her,

Armed Forces day in Reading, enjoyed the Vera Lynn tribute act,

School trip to St Ives, my first residential, felt very inspired by the art,

My lovely nephew is starting to seem life a real little person, 

First of two hen do's, this one in Cornwall, had a great time, met new people,

Holiday in Cornwall, feel so draw to this part of the country, had a wonderful time, wine tasting, bike rides, National Trust properties,

 Second hen do, this one in Birmingham, 

Paul's Dad's 60th birthday party,

Sarah's beautiful wedding, perfect end to the summer,

Milo's first birthday,

Trip to Wales to stay with Uni friends, a real reunion,

Christmas 2010, fun times in Wales and then with Paul's family,

What will 2011 bring? I can't wait to find out, thankyou all for sharing this journey with me so far.

Well we are finally back from our Christmas travels, as much as I love visiting family, there is nothing better to me than arriving home.  I am such a home girl and really like my home comforts, not a fan of living out of a suitcase at all, it felt really good to walk through the door to my house which I had left lovely and tidy, and because we don't have any pets that live indoors (both our families have dogs) I immediately felt the effect of having clean, dust free air, delightful.
Now I am home I feel I can start work on all the little plans that have been coming to my mind over the week we have had away, I always find when I am away I want to do things that I can't do away from home, especially sewing projects, of which I have several in mind.  I am feeling so fired up for making right now and really getting Serendipity Child off the ground.  I have a few other plans in mind and I am not sure what direction I will be taking with them yet, I am going to need all your help on making some decisions. With my one day extra per week I am hoping to start living my dream, take some steps down the path of working for myself and hopefully feel happier and truer to myself in the process.
Tomorrow I am going into town to try and make the most of the sales before I start my "Buy Nothing New For A Year Challenge"!!  Yes, I will tell you more about that soon I am sure.  I also want to get some fabric, then I am going to start making, making, making, as much as I possibly can, and getting things into the shop.
Sorry I am babbling, let me share with you some of the things I got for Christmas:

These two gorgeous Penguin Hardback Classics to add to my collection, I think my mother in law was a bit confused, I had to explain "it's all about the covers":

 This lovely wire metal heart to display photos, haven't decided where it will go yet, but very pleased with it, have wanted one for ages:

Put this poster and the mirror below onto my wish list thinking that I could take the mirror out of the frame and use the frame for the poster, sadly the poster is too big so will probably string some bunting across the frame or something:

 Fabulous retro clock for my kitchen:

Useful craft books for getting my craft business off the ground:

Wonderful Weepies album, ooooh yes:

Hubby got me this soooo cute ceramic house bread bin from my favourite Lisa Stickley, goes so well in our turquoise kitchen:

I really want to show you some photos of them in situ but haven't got round to it yet, plus some of them are not yet in situ!  Still in their bags and boxes in fact. Needless to say I would highly recommend using an Amazon Wish list in future, you can even add items that are not sold on Amazon to an Amazon Universal gift list, so you could even add Etsy items.  Best thing I ever did. What wonderful things did you get for Christmas?

Patriotic Etsy Treasury

You know how I love making Etsy Treasury's?  Well I made another one yesterday.  It is a thoroughly patriotic Treasury; think Britannia, the Union Flag, the Queen and Vera Lynn and you are on the right lines.  Incidentally I am really into the 1940's at the moment, I love the music from the time and recently bought Vera Lynn's 100 greatest hits, and read her autobiography.  In case you don't know, Vera Lynn was a famous singer from during the II World War and brought us such hits as "We'll meet again" and "There'll be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover" the title of the second of which I used as the title for this particular treasury.  Here are a few of my favourite items from it:

LaVogue

BlueDoveStudio

Scarletbeautiful

Openbooks

Granstreasures

Screamprinting

A very merry Christmas

Hi everyone,

I hope you have all had a peaceful and cheery Christmas.  I had a lovely time with my husband and my family in beautiful Wales.  The snow was still sparkling on the ground and the log burning fire was crackling away in the living room, we had a real giggle for the three days we were there.  Here are some photos to take you through our Christmas weekend:

My sister and I had the absolute privilege of decorating the Christmas tree.  For our family this is really something because in the past my mum has ALWAYS put the lights and the tinsel on the tree before letting us kids hand the decoration, but this year we had full responsibility of both tree lights and tinsel and I think we did an excellent job even if I do say so myself.

Paul took this one:

Vintage glass baubles n everything

We opened our Christmas presents after going to Church.  I got this lovely scarf knitted by my sister. 

I also got a lovely woolly brown cardigan from mum and dad, a vampire weekend and Mumford and Sons album from my sister. My lovely husband was the best, he got me the fabulous Lisa Stickley ceramic cottage bread bin that I have been drooling over for months and a keep calm and carry on poster that I have been wanting.  I will take some photos of them at some point to show you.

After opening presents and eating out pot noodles (family tradition) we all went off my my Grandpa's house.

It was mightily, beautifully snowy, just like Christmas should be,

At my Grandpa's we completed a Christmas quiz in the newspaper and looked through old photos, here is one of my Grandma looking so glamorous, yes this was MY grandma!!  Hoe beautiful was she?!

Then it was back home for Christmas dinner, turkey with all the trimmings, crackers, hats, and bubbly:

After stuffing our faces with Christmas dinner, we played the board game that I bought for Paul, it's called Go Green and is a self-sufficiency and green living board game!! What could be better? Who knew that such a game had been invented, absolutely worth every penny of the extortionate price of £25.00 that I paid for it!?  Anyway it was highly amusing, especially when Paul and I had to miss a go because we were constipated!

We enjoyed a mug of mulled wine whilst we were playing made by my brother and his lovely new German girlfriend,

I found the whole thing highly amusing, made even more so by the bubbly and mulled wine, a very very enjoyable day for all.

Sorry for the mass of photos, there was more!!  Will share some more photos in the next couple of days of presents etc, right now I am stuffing myself with chocolate and generally revelling in the full up-ness of post Christmas gorging, plus enjoying reading the books I got.  I made and Amazon wish list this year, and it was the best thing I ever did, I have been bought so many of the things that i really wanted, which is excellent. I hope you are all happy and having a wonderful Christmas, I am already planning new years resolutions, lists and schemes for the new year which I will share with you all soon.

Love, love, love

xxx