FOR JAYNE, AND ALL YOU TEDDY LUVVERS OUT THERE X

Hi, in response to Jayne(http://countrycottagechic.blogspot.com)and/ her challenge of doing a post on our favourite teddy or toy, here are just a couple of pics of our motley crew who sit quietly on Poppy's cupboard.The old boy in the centre is mine, the 'old bear ' on the right is my sons which he was given by a dear friend on the morning he was born.The teddy on the left is Andy's which he has had since birth.Also residing there is Rabbie, friend and confidant to Ted,Winnie the pooh and a dragon commemorating The Prince of Wales investiture in Caernarvon in 1969.

As you can see, Ted's no 'Steiff ', but as a child I loved him dearly, he was my friend, comforter and councillor all rolled in to one. I'll keep him always.

What about you? why not join in this trip down memory lane?If you do, please let me know so I can come visit your past. It's cuddly fun!! Annie x

BRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

This is what Rufus is up to today, and I can't say I blame him. It is dead chilly outside, but the sun is shining, so I think myself and Pop's will wrap up warm and head off on a little adventure together, nothing TOO exciting, just a drink in our favourite watering hole and then the library, charity shops and ofcourse the haberdashery, I need to be inspired.
Hope you are keeping warm and doing what you like doing best today. Annie x

OH ME , OH MY , IT'S BEEN A WHILE.......

Well HI! How is everyone out there? Hope you are all fine and dandy, isn't the weather fab? the sun shines as I sit here writing this, I should really be out there sorting out the garden and things but I felt I had neglected my blog for far too long.

Life is great at the moment, I felt 2008 was going to be a good year, and so far it sure is living up to my expectations. I am incredibly busy, what with general things round here and having my big boy off all this week has been an added dimension ( Poppy's off next week! ) , I am working for an exhibition in May and have committed myself to doing the Stroud 2008 open studios at the begining of June, yeek! This might not seem much to the onlooker , but behind the scenes it's meggar. You see dear readers, my studio sits in the garden, and both studio and garden need a massive overhaul. I have not been able to use my lovely 14ft by 7ft work space for as long as I can remember, and the garden, well, last year was lousy for doing anything of any worth out there. But there's nothing like a deadline to make you shift your butt. Andy says he'll sort out the work out there and that I should concentrate on making, he's my rock and I love' im dearly.

Talking of love, may I wish all you lovelies out there a belated Valentines Day, I hope you had a lovely one, this blog is dedicated to the theme of love, and so I have posted some heart shaped things I have been working on this week.
This Peirrot heart I made for a friend who celebrated her birthday yesterday. Lianne, another friend asked me to teach her how to felt, and so, my taste for felting has been re-kindled after a break of a few years, although I have been using felt on some of my dolls. These hearts are made using hand felted merino wool and various bits and bobs.

This one is larger, and I finally found a use for my black crow print that has been sitting in my sewing box .

Finally, I thought I would show you ' Pandora The Pug Lover', I think she has a certain romance about her. Pandora has gone to live with a very lovely lady, and I hope they will be very happy together. Do you like the pink pugs running along the hem of her skirt?

I have quite alot to show and tell , the most challenging being a cd set with plinky - plonky music ( this is what we call it, it's victorian music box music ) it is a record of my work so I can send to prospective shops and galleries. I hope to find a way of putting a link off my blog so you can see it, but thats for another day!

I hope to do a post showing before and after pics of my studio and garden, I think it will most definately be a bumpy ride, but how exciting!!

Have a lovely stress free weekend, Annie x

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