THE GIVEAWAY WINNER IS............

THE DRAW

WHO IS IT POP'S?

IT'S THE LOVELY MARY! I SHALL E-MAIL YOU MARY TO GET YOUR ADDRESS, THEN I CAN GET THEM OFF TO YOU STRAIGHT AWAY.

ANNIE x

JUST A QUICKIE TO SAY.....

Hi, there is still time to leave a comment and get the chance to have your name picked for my first ever giveaway. I shall get someone to do the draw at 4pm Sunday 27th January. I will then post the winner's name. Hope you are all having a lovely weekend. Annie x

"LET THEM EAT CAKE!" OH, AND A GIVEAWAY

Good evening! Atlast I have found the time to fit in a blog, and today (drum roll) is my very first giveaway. It's to celebrate a couple of things, I do believe I'm coming close to my fiftieth blog and I have recently celebrated my Birthday, what better excuse do I need. I had planned a caption challenge using a photo that I thought perfect, but came to realise it was a bit too much like hard work, so, I shall put the names of all who leave a comment on my blog into a hat and get one of my lovelies to do the honours. This will happen on Sunday 27th January.I have put the photo at the bottom of this post, I think it says it all....
The giveaway is one of my 'Rufus' linen cats that I made just before christmas. You will also see from the pic that there is a lovely painted china cup and saucer from my collection of many, some vintage lace and buttons and a lovely vintage postcard of cats doing domestic duties. Also, I've put in a reel of 'East of India' ribbon, not vintage but very lovely and darn useful. Just a few things which show the sort of things I like, I hope you like too.

It's been quite busy here, children settled back into their school routine and me finding my rhythm again after the christmas spell. I must say, I'm feeling very positive about 2008, good things already coming our way. Lets hope this continues aye?

I've been working on a couple of dolls, 'Pandora the Pug lover' and 'Let them eat cake'. I've also been getting my ideas together for a textile exhibition I've been asked to take part in which is in May. I want to base the work on old circus acts and vorderville, we shall see how it goes.

I think I need to go now, you would giggle if you could see me, our stool for sitting at the computer gave way under the strain a few days ago (too many pies!) and now I write my blog while sitting gingerly on George's big orange space hopper, very comfy but I feel very silly and I'm getting a bit of a crick in the neck. Please leave a comment and if you can think of anyone who would like my giveaway, do let them know.
Have a good evening, Annie x

Isn't she a scream?

A COLD DARK WINTER'S TALE

Dear Bloggers, I'm afraid to say it's happenin again! My post Christmas blues. Try as I might, they decend on me as sure as christmas itself. Everything was great until Monday arrived and the children returned to school, maybe the alarm call at 6am set the blues cogs whirring or was it the fact I have to find my way back to where I was before christmas, I do lose my momentum and it is hard work to find it again, but find it I will - I have to...........Anyway, today is Wednesday and the fog is lifting a little bit, I spent the day with my friend Lianne which is always a tonic and helps me laugh at myself and put perspective back in to my little world.
Talking about friends, tonics and all that, I would like to mention one member of our blogging community who has become just that to me. The wonderful Michele, who kindly bestowed upon me the ' You're An Amazing Blogger' Award, not deserved me do think but very much appreciated. Michele has a lovely warm blog which has a charm of it's own, and I have found her very supportive and eager to share her knowledge of being a maker and seller. Thanks Michele, your an asset to this blogging community. Michele is at COWBOYS AND CUSTARD, sorry, I don't know how to do links but shall endeavour to put her blog address on my favourites so you can find her.
I am afraid that the award has come with the forfeit of seven random facts about myself, so here it goes, don't get too excited!

1. I trained to be a peer supporter for MOBS ( mothers offering breastfeeding support) I thought this to be important as there was no such support for me when I was a new mother embarking on the fabulous but complicated and sometimes extremely painful decision to feed my new baby. A very rewarding experience, and I got to cuddle all those lovely new babies!
2. I love birds and always have from a young age. I was a member of the RSPB young ornothologists club and went bird watching with my father, how geekie is that? my love of drawing came from this time when I would just draw birds.
3. I am a firm believer in fate and on numerous occasions have made decisions based on this. For example, in May 2006, the last of my beloved cats,Margo, who was eighteen, deaf and having three legs was sadly coming to the end of her life. We had seen her and her sister coming in to the world, the thought of being without her was impossible to imagine. The next day, Sarah phoned, a friend I see now and again and I told her my sad news. Sarah told me her brothers cat had given birth at that time when Margo was leaving us. I felt this was fate and that we were meant to have one of the kittens, the decision was made and a few months later Rufus and Mildred were ours.
4. I do not drive. I passed my test first time round
in 1990 but lost confidence and interest in driving. I always think when the need takes me, I will have a refresher course and give Andy a break from his chauffering duties, but it ain't happened yet....
5. I have two hidden talents that I pull out of the bag if need be i.e. at drunken parties. I can touch my nose with my tongue (attractive and demour!!) and I have funny hands , my fingers bend back too far. Andy says my toes do things they shouldn't too , but I only have his word for that, not something to test at parties ( does this come across rude?oops )
6. I'm really going to sound attractive now!! I have a sizeable bald patch on the side of my head where I was born using forceps. The hair never grew but luckily I was blessed with more than my fair share of hair so the curse of my birth can be easily hidden or atleast until a drunken party where I could reveal this quirk, it's a winner!
7. Last but not least, I have a false eye, ONLY JOKING!!!! I'm trying to think of something really attractive to say about myself, mmm, can't, so I will tell you about my attraction to Mr. Johnny Depp. I must tell you that I feel that fate cast it's wicked spell again. A few years ago I had a milestone birthday. Nothing special was planned other than going over to Wales to meet up with friends. We decided to meet in a little real ale pub in the middle of nowhere. It was a cold January evening and there was a fabulous old worn windsor chair in the corner by a very inviting fire. I made a bee line for this cosy scene
and made myself at home. Are you on the edge of your seat yet? are you gripped? I shall continue. The evening passed gently and pleasantly and the warm ale went down a treat. Andy went up to the bar, I could see the inn keeper being very animated telling Andy some yarn and pointing in my direction. Andy returned with a big smile and informed me that only a week earlier Mr. Depp had sat in that very spot on that very chair!!! How cruel fate can be, why then and not now I moaned, how sweet it could have been, but I still got a massive thrill and a lovely memory for my milestone birthday. If you saw where this pub was you would wonder how on earth he came to be there, but thats what makes it magic .
Well, thats it, hope your not all bored senseless. I shall return soon with my caption giveaway. I shall retire now and let my thoughts wonder to an old worn chair in an old worn Inn deep ( or should I say Depp?) in the middle of nowhere, sigh.......xxxxxxxxxxx

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! to all of you out there. I truly hope that 2008 will be an excellent year for everyone. I usually find the New Years Eve thing difficult and have pangs of sadness for the year we leave behind, NOT THIS TIME, I was soo glad to hear the chimes at midnight, I disliked 2007 immensley and would not want to repeat the like again, for reasons I will not go into other than to say I lost alot.2008 will be a fab year, and I am eager to see how it unfirls....
I wanted to take this last opportunity to post some pics of our Christmas, it was a wonderful relaxed affair, maybe it was more relaxed because of the decisions I had made but maybe it's best not to look too deeply and just enjoy the special moments for what they are, bloody good times. The pic above is of the children's tree, it always sits on the piano between the photos of their great great grandparents.

This is Christmas Eve, and as you can see, HE's BEEENNNN!!

We went to bed at 2am and I was, like the big kid I am, awake at 6am. I turned the tree lights on, got dressed and climbed back into bed and waited and waited........7am they emerge, atlast!!

This is George and Pops opening the things Santa kindly left them.
Myself and the children don't eat meat, Andy only eats meat off the premises, so we all tucked in to a parsnip and cashew nut bake with the usual veg and christmas pud to follow.

I wanted to show you my present from Andy, he calls it my 1920's i'pod. It's a picnic gramaphone. He bought it on ebay and met the guy in a layby near Bath to pick it up on the day before christmas eve, now that scored him alot of brownie points!!! We managed to buy some jazz and swing 78's a few days after christmas in a little shop in Ledbury. It was a real talking point on New Years Eve, everyone wanted a go, it had a real presence, I love it! thanks love xx In my next post, I shall be doing my very first giveaway (gasp!!). I have a picture ripe for a caption, it's a bit of fun and I will put together a few things for the person with the caption that makes me chuckle the most or if I like more than one I shall get one of the kids to do a draw out of a hat, yeah? ok, till next time, Blessings xxxxxxxxx