CALS and Award

I love CALs they stop me from racing ahead, give me time to ponder.  I have completed two more rounds of Kate's Cal Mini Rings of Change.

I was going to do the Moogly 2015 Cal blanket, but when I saw the first square I decided not to as it was very fussy, and looked very difficult.  However when I was reading Kates post today she had done an alternate square that was rather nice! So what to do?  I had already decided to do a blanket using Cherry Heart’s Vintage blanket using Jan Eaton’s book of 200 blocks as inspiration.

 I rather like them and will keep on with it.  However I think I will keep an eye out on the Moogly Squares and see how they  go.

This week the lovely Anna of Annas Simple Crochet awarded me this award.  Thankyou very much Anna.

Following the rules, I have to : follow the blog who nominated me, answer to 5 questions and nominate 10 blogs.

The questions -

1  What would you change in your current situation? Nothing!

2   What you do not forgive? Lying

3 What would your perfect disguise? Dark glasses they say the eyes are the window to your soul!

4  Do you believe in eternal love or is it a fairy tale ? Love with capital letters.

    5  An important song in your life.  Lady in Red can’t recall who sings it!

The blogs-

http://senioradventureswithlindakay.blogspot.co.nz/

http://sftandthe101challenge.blogspot.co.nz/

http://ellengiggenbach.blogspot.co.nz/  *

http://lovecraft2012.blogspot.co.nz/

http://papermoonliving.blogspot.co.nz/  *

http://bicocacolors.blogspot.co.nz/

http://jsmwebber.blogspot.co.nz/  *

http://mythreadbearlife.blogspot.co.nz/  *

http://sssinthesun.blogspot.co.nz/

http://www.girlswearbluetoo.com/

The * marks NZ blogs.

The cats are in hiding today, as it has been rather noisy here today. 

Ambrose hiding down the back in my wild area!

Lucy has been deep in hiding and just come out for dinner.

Peggy Sue is staying under the bed. She is a nervous cat, she was a rescue kitten and I am sure she was maltreated as she hates loud noises and children!  She will come out when it is dark.

Why the noise?  It is Wings Over Wairarapa Air Show this weekend and the jets, biplanes, etc have been screeching above the town today.

google imagrs

But I won’t let it distract me like a couple of years ago, I was watching planes doing loops while I was pruning some bushes and partially cut off the tip of my little finger! Spending the rest of the day in A&E.   So there will be no pruning this weekend!  Hopefully,  lots of crafting, LOL

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 Have a great Weekend.

WIP an d Part 2 of Liebster Award

It has been a busy week, catching up on chores and such like.  But two things I have been working on is a bag made with some squares that I was going to use for a cotton blanket.  I changed my mind about that project for the time being as I don’t think I have enough of the ecru vintage cotton and the ivory is very expensive.  So here’s what I am going to do with the squares I have made. 

 I am trying to decide whether to have a gusset in ecru and have the strap carry on from it.  I am going to line it with the linen and back the strap with it as well.

The other two are traditional doilies for the door curtain I talked about last week.

Now for the second part of the Liebster Award.  Thank you Amanda of

http://amjaylou.blogspot.co.nz

Amanda’s 11 question:-
1. How many WIP's do you have at the moment?

Er……I started to list them but stopped when I needed a new page!!!

2. What are they?

I admit to 2 baby blankets, a mood blanket and a flower garden blanket.  2 scarfs, 1 shawl, 2 bags, numerous doilies, 3 mandalas, a hexagon quilt (I admit some haven’t been touched for months, I have a scatterbrain mind, I see something and want to do it and then abandon the project I am working on, especially the big ones.)  They will get done, as I made myself a new rule, not to start anything new until I have finished a project. Says she who just started a new doily this morning!!!

3. Regarding days out what would be your idea of heaven?

Going to Castlepoint beach on a blustery day and watching the waves, drinking tea from a Thermos (or soup if it is winter.)  I love waves crashing in.  Also the idea, that the sea links all the continents, and I wonder if it has touched a place where I have loved ones.

4. What would be your idea of hell?

Not being able to garden

5. What book are you reading at the moment?

The Secret Life of Bees  by Sue Monk Kidd (rereading)

6. What is your favourite tipple? ( can include non-alcoholic!)

In summer a ice cold freshly squeezed Lemon drink, winter, a Jarrah coffee (Vienna flavour)

7. What's been the best holiday you've been on so far?

A Summer Holiday in Switzerland a few years back, 3 weeks of walking in the mountains in and around Davos.

8. What is your dream destination?

Home, I had 20 years of travelling and I am happy to stay at home now, in fact I would be miserable away from it.

9. What would you put into Room 101?

Room 101? Amanda tells me it’s from George Orwell's 1984 and there is a program where celebrities take what they hate into it.  I would put people who criticize needlessly and gossip.  They could have fun together!!!

10. Do you have a favourite TV chef?

Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater, we don’t really have celebrity chefs here in NZ. Although, we do have our own version of Masterchef.

11. What is your all-time favourite cake?

Any cake that has apples in it, or I could be retro and say a decent Black Forest Cake preferably from Tubingen (Germany).

Now I should nominate some blogs, however I am going to break the rules here; as I did that with the award I received a couple of months back.  So, if any of my followers want to do the award I nominate you!!!  I know it is a lot of work, but feel free.  However I am going to point you in the direction of some lovely blogs that I have bookmarked and love to gaze on their goodies, there are some enormously talented people out there.

http://crocheterie.blogspot.co.nz/   - crochet free patterns that are different from the norm.

http://de-la-maison-au-jardin.over-blog.com/ doilies and suchlike, even though it is in French, she gives charts of her designs.

http://mijardinderetales.blogspot.co.nz/  she has some amazing crochet and a recipe or two.

http://crochet-plaisir.over-blog.com/  some amazing crochet patterns

http://thelittletreasures.blogspot.co.nz/ dressmaking, crochet and crafts

http://olavas.blogspot.co.nz  lots of lovely crochet embellishments

http://marie-lostbirdstudio.b logspot.de/ amazing vintage craft made with lace doilies and the suchlike

http://vintagegreyhandmade.blogspot.co.nz/ quilting with vintage feel.

http://nasturelul-fermecat.blogspot.co.nz/ toys and other crafts

http://crochetmillan.bloggplatsen.se/  crochet generous with patterns even though it is in Swedish she produces charts.

http://www.maidoll-melodie.blogspot.co.uk/  knitted art dolls

I will leave you with a few pictures of my garden.

One of the vegetable beds, that’s purple sprouting broccoli in front and Tuscan kale at the back, and I think there are some cabbages.

I am really proud of my fennel this winter it is bulbing up nicely.

The primulas are putting on a nice display.

The jonquils are out, a promise of the spring!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you all have a great week.

Random Things

I haven’t done much crochet this week as I have visitors from Aussie.  However in the odd quiet moment I have been playing around with the op shop cottons I have brought over the past few weeks.

I have become quite keen on the traditional doilies.  While I was roaming through Pinterest, I have discovered some cool ways of using them.  Two I want to try, lampshades and curtains.  This morning I pinned some doilies I had to the net curtain at the front door, Wow!

The big doilies were my great aunts the small ones are mine.

Doilies here I come, i like the idea of doing them myself, rather than buying vintage ones then I can use colours to suit me.

I have received a Liebster Award from Amy of Amjayloublogspot.co.uk.  I received one a few months back, but still decided to take part as it was an opportunity to share a few things about me a in the second part share some blogs that I love.

We are to share 11 random things about ourselves (today) and answer 11 questions set by the giver, nominate 11 blogs to receive the award  and set them 11 questions.  I like the idea of spreading it over 2 posts, doesn't seem so much work!

Here goes - 11 random things about me

1.    I like to  see what is on the other side of the hill

2.   I collect seashells, stones, cacti, vintage china, art materials………

Shells on my bathroom windowsill

3.   George Clooney makes me sigh…..

4.   I love to photograph close ups of flowers.

My favourite rose its a climber, don't know its name it runs alongside the drive and is awesome in early summer.

5.   I am a children’s illustrator by trade and a wannabe children’s writer, (tired of illustrating other peoples stories)

Design for a card

6.   I grew up on a dairy farm in Taranaki.

7.   I spent 20 years overseas mainly Britain and France.  Been back in NZ just over 10 years.  (A rather long OE!!!)

8.   I love to paint flowers from my garden.  I did the below yesterday in gouache (a type of watercolour paint) for my sister to take back to Aussie as she loves Daphne and cant grow it, my bush is scenting the house and garden out.

 9.   Gardening is a passion along with crochet, and my art.  These are photos from last summer (January 2014)

My back garden looking at the house from the start of the veggie patch.

The veggie patch, my quiet spot under the plum tree

10.  I adore then sea, but live an hour’s drive away from the nearest beach.

Riversdale Beach, my favourite local beach.

  

11.   I give thanks every day to God for the blessings in my life.

Well that's it for today, I will post the rest next week.  I  leave this thought for you from a page in my art journal.

Reach out for the stars, our imagination is real!

Have  a good week and thanks for your visit.