I’m Back ……..

Well, I’m back from a wonderful restful week with Marc and Rick ………

……. and judging from my tightening waistband there can be no doubt of where I have been as the food was glorious with both Marc and Rick being the most fantastic cooks, I am currently assigned to nil by mouth!

I’ll be honest, almost no crafting was done ……… Marc and I exchanged a few crafty bits and pieces …………

…… and I started off the diamond painting picture I got for Marc from AliExpress for his birthday, but OMG the pieces are tiny, with 40 different coloured tiles …….

…… if it ever gets finished it will be a labour of love and a flipping miracle!

The elephant in the room for the week was obviously the result of the Eurovision Song Contest …….. now, we didn’t expect the UK to do well, but null points(?) especially when compared to, in our humble opinion, the car crash of a song from Italy that eventually won the whole flipping thing. Admittedly they were always the bookies favourite, but we just didn’t get it.  The UK wasn’t robbed, but a couple of other countries were!

However, rest assured, we will all be together to do it all again next year, God willing, putting ourselves through the same agony no doubt, but well, it would be rude not to wouldn’t it?

Marc loved his sack of birthday presents ……… and he laughed and cried in all the right places, as I knew he would ………

…….. with the £2.50 charity shop hedgehog light taking prime position, under a shady tree in front of the veranda for all to see and admire!

My loungewear also drew gasps of appreciation and admiration as I flounce into the lounge on Saturday morning – sorry no photos …………

…….. as well as laughter, when I wondered out aloud if I’d perhaps peaked too soon, so early on in the day, rather than keeping the big reveal for just before Eurovision started ……….

…….. however, It’s all very casual at the cottage, so I continued to strut around in said £3.00 charity shop outfit for a few days more rather than get dressed properly, in turn saving on any unnecessary washing when I got home.

As you know I always come back from the cottage brimming full of ideas, however, for once, I turned down a potential project  ……….

……. in the guise of this super sized Ikea lantern, if I had the space back at The Towers it would have been mine, painted black and inside a diorama featuring two dressed skeletons, one standing, wielding a broom and the other sat on a chair holding a cup and saucer, both surrounded by glittery pumpkins and spiders etc. but it was just too big to store, perhaps if it’s still there on my next visit I’ll take the bits and pieces to do it, however, Rick was really keen to have a proper clear out, so it was destined for the tip if I didn’t take it.

The cottage has also undergone a few big changes since my last visit in July 2020, including a new bathroom and much changed bedrooms.

Rick is such a fantastic interior designer, his putting together of colours and textures and then incorporating memories and pieces from his family history, always has me sighing and experiencing serious design envy ………

……… like his mum’s flower fairy plates in the guest bedroom.  They also bought memories back for me, as I can remember being given a flower fairies book for my birthday before I could even read properly, a book long gone, but of which I will be keeping an eye out for on my many charity shop moochings. 

Naturally, I came home with a couple of ideas, I need more colour in my life ……… but of that, more tomorrow.

Taking A Week Off ........

Just to let you know, I'm going be taking a week off from blogging until 7th June, I don't usually like to do this, but I really don't have a single post in the pipeline to keep things going while I am with Marc at the cottage. 

Goodness only knows what we'll be getting up to, but rest assured I'll be taking lots pictures and filling you in as soon as I get back, it'll just be so lovely to feel and be "normal" again after so long apart  ........... until then, keep fiddle farting and stay safe xxxxxx 

Domed Skeleton Fairy

Not to everyone’s taste I know today and a huge sorry, I was so absorbed when putting this domed skeleton fairy together, taking photos of the process just flew out of my head.

This is Marc’s birthday present from me, I knew I was going to make him some sort of skeleton, but to be honest, I didn’t really have a clue where I was going until I was about half way through.

I started by gathering two lengths of the wonderful black and gold lace (80p for a huge length from Evesham Fabric Shop) to create a full, double layered skirt.

The scepter was made using a cocktail stick, a small skull bead (The Works), a silver, star shaped spacer bead for the neck frill and a gold crown charm (Ebay from China), if you are prepared to wait 2 to 3 weeks for your bits, it’s so much cheaper.

I first tried putting “the fairy” on a old, wooden, cotton reel pedestal but it soon became apparent that she was never going to stand without toppling over every five seconds ……. so I then thought "dome", having a spare one in the cupboard from my Christmas shelves. I had to use Super Glue to hold her in position.

After adding a crown, the scepter and wings (£1.50 -The Works, I originally only bought one packet and kicked myself for not buying more after making my first skeleton fairy a few weeks ago, and then low and behold I spotted them in a basket in another Works, needless to say I bought all they had).

Then I went a little bit mad, adding a whole pile of plastic spiders, using a glue gun to the skirt and then on the back of the wings,  ………

…… followed by more skull beads in between the spiders …….

……… not “less is more” on this idea!

Adding the glass dome over the top gave the whole thing a completely different feel, it felt as if it was now something “special” and then ………. I went the whole hog and put tiny battery operated lights inside the dome as well.

I can’t wait to see Marc’s face when he opens the box, it’s been really hard to give it away, even to my best friend ……. but I think if I rearrange my lounge shelves a bit, I have another dome to make one for my own.

I’m At The Cottage! Marc’s Birthday Tut.

As you read this I will be safely and very happily ensconced with Marc and Rick at their cottage in the depths of the Worcester countryside. I haven’t seen Marc since July 2020, I can’t believe it, though we speak regularly on the phone, it just isn’t the same as being together in the flesh!!!!

It’s tradition (except for last year) that I always spend Eurovision with the dynamic duo, which also ties in very nicely too with Marc’s birthday, so double festivities. With Covid restrictions slowly lifting, we’ve all been double jabbed and we can, from 17th May, mix indoors as a group of six or two households so perfect timing for a wonderful few days.

Now, Marc and I don’t really do birthdays, but there’ll be a special sack of “tut” for this weekend …….. let’s just say that the charity shops of Evesham have been well and truly scoured these past few weeks for some pretty epic treasures!

Finding a Basset Hound to grace Marc’s shelf is always really hard, so can you imagine how I felt when I saw this beauty (above), I pounced like a graceful gazelle to secure it and the price?  Only 80 flipping p!  There are no markings, but it’s heavy, I’m not sure what it’s made of ,but it’s solid, I was so chuffed.

Then there’s this, which is going to be a gift that will be almost impossible to top in the future!  I can’t wait to hear Marc near collapse with laughter. I could see everyone’s jealous faces in the shop  as I clutched it to my ample bosom, hoping against hope that I would change my mind and put it back.  Not a chance.  A large, illuminated hedgehog for indoor or outdoor use (PAT tested) for the grand sum of £2.50, with it’s original price tag still on at £19.99, what a beauty ……..

……. and did it work? You bet it did!  Eat ….. your …… hearts …… out!

To keep us busy in the afternoons I got us both a diamond painting Madonna each from AliExpress £3.59, by the time were are half way through Marc will probably be regretting ever pointing them out to me! 

I think I’ve done myself proud, I even managed to find Marc some packs of Diam Latte bars after he messaged me on the Poundland Appreciation page saying that he thought it would be rude if we didn’t try them.

This final corker, was 40p (same shop), I like to think of it as Marc and I gazing whimsically, in our younger years, captured forever, lost in our thoughts at the bottom of my garden, watched on by …………

…… what looks to be a cross between a bird and a  some sort of rare white whale/dolphin??? What the?

I even got the perfect lounging outfit for the weekend ……. for just £3.00, again for the same shop as all the above.  Before Covid Marc and I were going to go up Shepherds Bush Market to get me a kaftan for my stays,  I know it isn’t as colourful as the one we had planned, but, this also has a long waistcoat to go over the top, for extra swishability and, dare I say glamour, with a capital G!  Can you imagine the laughter as I glide into the lounge, shortly after arrival, when I usually say that I am going to slip into something more comfortable?  Marc will, pardon the expression, wet himself! There was a sort of head band that also went with the ensemble, but I think I must have put it down on the spare seat while sorting out my shopping when I stopped for a coffee and left it there ……….. doh!

xxx HAPPY DAYS xxx