Sunday, 28 December 2014
Sunday, 16 November 2014
Monday, 3 November 2014
Celebrations Galore
It's been a busy week here with three celebrations and cards to make for each.
First it was my parents Golden Wedding Anniversary, this was probably the hardest card for me to come up with an idea for.
I knew I wanted to use some gold netting and add a ribbon to it.
Although I liked my first attempt, I started to worry that maybe it looked more like a general Birthday card than an Anniversary card, I was also very pleased with how the picture came out using the Light Box.
I'd recently had a private photography lesson with Tish Hornsbury and she taught me all about using the White balance and a few other functions on my camera I'd had no idea about.
Just can't believe the difference in the quality of the pictures.
I then dug out my box of Die Cutters found the alphabet and the Anniversary cutters to add more details to the card.
The card now looked much more finished, but time was short, I had to get the card delivered so took a really quick snap of it on my mobile phone and off I went to their house to deliver it, as you can see the finished card is a lot more glary and not so sharp, will definitely ensure I'm using the Light Box next time.
Then it was my sons Birthday, I really enjoyed making him this cute card, as we were having a rare beautiful day I took the picture of it out on the garden table.
Today is Himself's Birthday, he's a hard one to make cards or to buy gifts for. He's brilliant when it comes to chosing me gifts, he has such an imagination, the photography lesson was my Birthday present which got put off until recently due to my knee surgery.
I used the Light Box to photograph Himself's Card and very pleased with the results.
In Puppy News Boris is doing very well with his training and growing up fast, he's almost as big as Badger Boo now, maybe even a little bigger, it's hard to tell as he never stops moving long enough to measure him.
Here they are charging round on the common on one of those lovely sunny days last week, that seem to have disappeared this week.
A rare shot of Boris sitting still long enough to take his picture, we have just started to learn the stay command and getting the hang of it now.
Here he is acting like a pro in front of the camera as if he was born to it.
I love this shot of Boris.
I'm linking this post to Creative Monday and Handmade Monday.
Hope you all have a great week crafting.
xxx
Saturday, 25 October 2014
Sunday, 19 October 2014
Found My Mojo
It seems like an age since I last felt up to doing any serious knitting.
The damp weather we've been having in the UK at the moment plays havoc with the Arthritis in my hands, so knitting is very painful.
I really enjoy knitting Tea Cosies, no longer are they just a functional item, they can be ornamental too. My particular favourites to knit are the style I always remember my beloved granny making and using back in the 60's and 70's, it looks a lot more complicated to make than it is, once you get the hang of it.
I loved it.
The damp weather we've been having in the UK at the moment plays havoc with the Arthritis in my hands, so knitting is very painful.
I really enjoy knitting Tea Cosies, no longer are they just a functional item, they can be ornamental too. My particular favourites to knit are the style I always remember my beloved granny making and using back in the 60's and 70's, it looks a lot more complicated to make than it is, once you get the hang of it.
I love making fun Tea Cosies too and Owls are another favourite of mine, mainly because I enjoy knitting cables and in the round.
When a friend recently asked me to knit them an Owl Tea Cosy I was happy to oblige but not sure if my hands were up to it.
I did a little each day and within a week it was done, I was very happy with the result although not entirely convinced I liked the colour, it didn't look quite right on my white tea pot when I photographed it.
I knew Lesley had a Navy Blue tea pot and asked her to send me a picture so I could see what it looked like.
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| Photo Credit: Lesley Beeton |
It's amazing how much better it looks on her pot than on mine
I'm now on the look out in charity shops for different coloured tea pots, I'd assumed white would be best for photographs, how wrong I was.
In puppy news Little Boris has finally got the hang of house training, it took him a while but we got there in the end. I'd seriously forgotten how demanding young puppies are, Badger Boo was 13 years old last Friday so it's been a very long time since I'd last had a puppy in the house.
Little Boris has completed his Puppy Pre-School classes at The Company of Animals in Chertsey, I opted to go to classes with him as I'm so out of touch with people on the Dog Show circuit, I couldn't find any local Ring craft classes to take him to for socialisation. He's a very bold and outgoing pup and a joy to live with, can't wait to start his next phase of training.
On the last day of the course I found out the other Cocker in the class was actually his litter sister Jessie, so a quick photo opportunity was had.
Little Boris is the big one on the right.
What a small world it is.
There's no allotment news, I've not been down for a few weeks due to the wet weather and it being almost the end of my growing season, I'm not a fan of winter vegetables so don't grow them. In a week or two the never ending digging will begin again.
Hope everyone is keeping well and I'll see you next week.
xxx
Little Boris has completed his Puppy Pre-School classes at The Company of Animals in Chertsey, I opted to go to classes with him as I'm so out of touch with people on the Dog Show circuit, I couldn't find any local Ring craft classes to take him to for socialisation. He's a very bold and outgoing pup and a joy to live with, can't wait to start his next phase of training.
On the last day of the course I found out the other Cocker in the class was actually his litter sister Jessie, so a quick photo opportunity was had.
Little Boris is the big one on the right.
What a small world it is.
There's no allotment news, I've not been down for a few weeks due to the wet weather and it being almost the end of my growing season, I'm not a fan of winter vegetables so don't grow them. In a week or two the never ending digging will begin again.
Hope everyone is keeping well and I'll see you next week.
xxx
Sunday, 12 October 2014
Sunday, 5 October 2014
Mucky Pup
Boris had just had a bath and decided he didn't like being clean, so helpfully started digging the garden.
I just love his expression and the way he is offering his paw.
He's just too cute.
Sunday, 28 September 2014
Cuteness Overload
So much has been happening recently but none of it has involved crafting, my life has been taken over by the beautiful Boris.
Yesterday we took him for his first off lead walk in the woods, I put a safety line on him just in case he took fright at anything and bolted.
I needn't have worried, the groundwork I put in with his training in the garden has paid off, his recall is so much better than I could have hoped for and he's so confident and outgoing.
His house training is still a work in progress, but he's clean more often than not now. It was all going very well until last week, Boris was struck with a severe tummy upset, we were very concerned he became seriously ill within a matter off hours. Rushed him to the vets fearing a blockage or poisoning, but thankfully it was neither.
The vet could find no reason for it and after some medication he was back to himself again, he's now being monitored closely and we could find nothing he could have chewed in the garden to make him so ill. Fingers crossed it was just one of those things and won't be reoccurring again.
Now I'm back to walking the dogs normally I should be able to find the time to start crafting again, I've really missed it.
Hope your all keeping well.
xxx
I needn't have worried, the groundwork I put in with his training in the garden has paid off, his recall is so much better than I could have hoped for and he's so confident and outgoing.
His house training is still a work in progress, but he's clean more often than not now. It was all going very well until last week, Boris was struck with a severe tummy upset, we were very concerned he became seriously ill within a matter off hours. Rushed him to the vets fearing a blockage or poisoning, but thankfully it was neither.
The vet could find no reason for it and after some medication he was back to himself again, he's now being monitored closely and we could find nothing he could have chewed in the garden to make him so ill. Fingers crossed it was just one of those things and won't be reoccurring again.
Now I'm back to walking the dogs normally I should be able to find the time to start crafting again, I've really missed it.
Hope your all keeping well.
xxx
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Sunday, 7 September 2014
Puppies and Craft Fairs
I've not had a lot of time recently for crafting since we got our new puppy Boris, I'd forgotten what hard work they can be, but more about the wee man later in this post.
I did manage to squeeze a Craft Fair in yesterday at the Godalming Bazaar, this is always a favourite of mine as its only 10 mins from home and I get a lie in.
Jill who runs the event works tirelessly to keep the footfall up, this time there was a Town Cryer, Make and Take workshops and some wildlife from a local sanctuary.
It wonderful to see everyone coming in and I was hoping for a good day instead of just covering my stall costs as at other Fairs I've attended. Speaking to some of the other stall holders they had a good day for the most part. Unfortunately for me I only broke even and just about covered my stall cost.
For the first time ever the main doors oppersite my stall leading into the main hall had been closed and the end doors opened instead, as a result my stall was completly bypassed by many of the visitors as they filtered into the hall and then as they left again. As a result I spent most of my day unsuccessfully acknowledging people to try and get then to walk 4 foot out of their way to check out my stall. I normally like this position in the corridor that nobody else seems to want, as people have to walk past my stall twice and I've done very well there in the past at this event.
I was not a Happy Bunny but I kept my cool.
You win some and you lose some.
I'm glad the event was a success and had a great footfall for all the other stall holders.
In Puppy News Boris is gorgeous but also very cheeky and a lot of hard work, I'd forgotten just how much work it is to have a young pup in the house.
For the most part Boris and Badger Boo get on very well, but Boris does need to learn that Badger Boo needs his sleep and galloping into the side of him when playing isn't polite behaviour, it makes Badger Boo jump as he doesn't hear or see him coming. We managed to get a puppy pen off FreeCycle and have used it to divide off parts of the lounge so that when Badger Boo has had enough of playing with Boris he can have his own quiet time.
It's important to remember that a pup is a lot for an elderly dog to deal with, especially when he's been an only dog for as many years as Badger Boo has. His routine is being kept as normal as possible it was before, and he's getting loads more fuss and games so as not to feel jealously towards Boris.
If you're thinking of getting a pup with an older dog in the house, please remember that a puppy is happy to share your attention, your older dog may not when he's used to being the only one.
Too many times your hear about people getting rid of an older dog because it hates a puppy, when a few simple measures to reassure the older dog is all it takes for things to go right and them to become firm friends.
Hope you've all had a great week.
xxx
Follow @Miss_BiggunTweet It's important to remember that a pup is a lot for an elderly dog to deal with, especially when he's been an only dog for as many years as Badger Boo has. His routine is being kept as normal as possible it was before, and he's getting loads more fuss and games so as not to feel jealously towards Boris.
If you're thinking of getting a pup with an older dog in the house, please remember that a puppy is happy to share your attention, your older dog may not when he's used to being the only one.
Too many times your hear about people getting rid of an older dog because it hates a puppy, when a few simple measures to reassure the older dog is all it takes for things to go right and them to become firm friends.
Hope you've all had a great week.
xxx
Sunday, 31 August 2014
My Sunday Photo ~ Welcome Boris
Earlier I mentioned to you we were collecting the newest member of our family.
Well here he is.
His name is Boris and he's a Working Cocker Spaniel. He's a solid black with a small patch of roan/white on his chest.
He's adorable and a most welcome addition, it's taken us a very, very long time to find the right pup, who'd have guessed we'd find him so close, he came from a place near Petworth.
At eight weeks old he had the most amazing recall and is a credit to his breeder Lynne, it's great for getting him outside to potty when he'd just woken up. If you didn't know it, puppies always need the potty when they've just awoken, eaten or got over excited when playing. Himself discovered the latter when I was having a bath this evening and got caught out LOL.
If you want to see daily updates about what Boris and Badger Boo are up too, head over to Badger Boo's Facebook Page and click Like, or for weekly updates you can follow Badger Boo's blog.
Hope you all have a great Sunday.
xxx
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Saturday, 30 August 2014
So Excited!!!
Today's the day we collect our new puppy, I'm so excited I could burst!
A new puppy means a new dog bed, which Badger Boo just had to check out for comfort, I'll be writing more about the new puppy once he's had a chance to settle in and find his feet.
As it's Saturday, it's Caption Day on the blogs.
I've not done #SatCap for a while, but as soon as I saw this picture I knew it was time.
It would have been rude not too.
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Sunday, 24 August 2014
A Welcome Surprise
I missed posting last week as I was spirited away on a surprise holiday by Himself. It was wonderful to have some time away at last, after all the ill health of the last couple of years, preventing either of us from being well enough at the same time to go away. I'll tell you more about the holiday next time.
This week I'd like to finally welcome the Policeman to the family of Knitted Collectables. You last saw the naked version of him here.
It always amazes me how they come to life as you start to add the little details.
In allotment news, the harvesting has begun.
It's great to finally be reaping the rewards after all the hard work of digging and preparing the soil.
There's still lots more to come, I think I may have planted a few too many potatoes for the two of us, but I'm sure I'll be able to make all sorts of interesting things with them.
Just a quick post today to catch up with myself.
Hope you've all had a great week.
xxx
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Sunday, 17 August 2014
My Sunday Photo ~ Sunflowers
This year I planted Sunflowers on my allotment for the first time and they're growing beautifully tall and strong.
I can't wait to see their big smiley faces, at the moment their flower heads are forming, I love how they're just waiting to burst open.
Hopefully it won't be long before they burst forth and look even more gloriously beautiful than they do now.
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Sunday, 10 August 2014
Saturday, 9 August 2014
My Sunday Photo ~ Caterpillars
I love my garden and I love Butterflies.
But the caterpillars drive me nuts, they can destroy plants in a matter of hours.
My solution to this problem is to plant sacrificial plants, the plan is the Butterflies lay their eggs there, instead of on the plants I want to keep, on the whole this works very well.
My sacrificial plant of choice is the Nestertion (Not sure of spelling, and that doesn't look right) it works very well, my Cauliflower and Broccoli are free to grow in peace, whilst they gobble up the Nestertions, all I need to do now is figure out a way to deal with those pesky Slugs and Snails.
We also have a Toad that likes to visit, you can read about him on The Dogs Blog.
Monday, 4 August 2014
A Painfully Slow Week
As todays title suggests it's been a painful week here in the Stone Pit Cave, my right hand has been very numb, swollen and stiff due to the Arthritis plus my left shoulder, which I dislocated a few years ago has also been very stiff and painful, therefore it's been a slow week for crafting.
I've had to put the Mitred Baby Blanket to one side for the time being, until the flexibility comes back, so for now I'm knitting with a thicker yarn and larger needles because they're easier for me to hold and it's been very slow going.
I found this pattern for an Owl Tea Cosy in one of my knitting magazines, although I can't remember which one, as it was a while ago.
I think it's great fun, I just adore Owls and knitting with my favourite Aran yarn, normally I could have knitted this in a couple of days but with all the stopping and starting it's been a slow make.
It was my mums birthday on Saturday so I made her a Butterfly Card, painted with water colours then clear embossed the darker colours to make them really stand out. So many people commented on it as it really stood out in the hall where mum had a massive Party.
In allotment news Himself has erected a large gazebo, which we are going to net and use as a fruit cage once the ground has been dug **groan**
It didn't look nearly so large in the garden centre when we first saw it. It'll certainly be interesting trying to get the scaffold netting over the top of it.
All I can do at the moment is a little light weeding until I've had my six week check up with the surgeon, it's so frustrating as I want to get going again and get the Raspberries planted, but it's best not to rush these things I suppose.
The Physio said I can drive again, I can now bend my knee 125 degrees, the first thing I did was I head down to the allotment to do some harvesting. My Cauliflower's and Broccoli have been brilliant this year, I'm so pleased as I grew them from seed and they tasted delicious.
I'm also really pleased with my first harvest of Peas, I grew these from seed too, they nearly filled this 4ltr flower pot, plus there's lots more to come as they mature.
The Sweet Corn is starting to grow rapidly now after a difficult start, sadly only approx a third of them survived the slugs, I then cheated and brought the rest as seedlings from Homebase. The taller ones are the ones I grew from seed but I'm sure the others will catch up soon.
The Sweet Peas are doing brilliantly well, every time we go down to do the watering I bring a large bunch of them home, the scent of them in the house is delicious.
I had a lovely email from Jill at Christmas Pie Crafts asking to use some of my photos for her Friday Review of my Knitted Collectibles which was a lovely surprise.
Thank you so much for your kind words Jill.
As is usual on a Monday I'll be linking this post to Creative Mondays and Handmade Monday.
I hope you all have a great week crafting.
xxx
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Sunday, 3 August 2014
My Sunday Photo
The first harvest of this year's peas, and what a bumper crop almost filling this 4 Ltr flower pot until I ate a few.
