Crafting, Flowers and a Wonderful Weekend

Morning all - how's it going??

Did you have a wonderful weekend jam packed with adventures and 'non stop' stuff or did you just lock the front door Friday night, pull the phone out of it's socket and cozy up with blankets, books, wine, good food and a fire??


I know which one I'd choose, but children tend to bounce off walls if they are caged in for too long so we did get out for an adventure or two, but I'll share those experiences with you tomorrow.

Now back to the cosying part.

Us adults at Tabiboo tend to squeeze our cosying into certain sections of the day - sounds regimented I know, but it makes for an all round wonderful weekend that we all get some enjoyment out of.


So for us it's either really early in the morning (sleep deprivation not included) when the little ones are still tucked up in bed with their heads in the land of nod or when they are absolutely shattered from a good old running around on the beach and then collapse, curled up on the sofa in their own little worlds of Barbie, Peppa Pig and Star Wars. This is the time when the grown ups get to indulge in their own relaxation and interests.



Whether it be reading the weekend papers or cracking on with some Christmas crafting a little slice of cosying is achievable at some point in a weekend.



And as December is literally round the corner (just one more day to go - yippee!!) the excitement levels are going to go up a notch or two (and that's just me!) and time for relaxing and cosying will become few and far between from here on in until Christmas day when we can all breath a great big fat whopping sigh!!

... and ppssssst here's a little sneak preview of the advent calender I bought this year for the children.



One kind of traditional and one with pockets that 'yes' gets filled with a little chocolate treat for all three.

Though that one is not coming out until tomorrow, just to make sure there is 'no' temptation around - for me of course!! Mmmmmmmmm chocolate.

It all adds to the fun and festivities at Tabiboo HQ.

{The last of the hydrangeas snipped from the garden}

Have a lovely, lovely week - how did you spend your weekend??

Sunlight

Hello all on this beautiful, beautiful sunshiny Friday - it's the end of the week 'yay'

This week feels like it's been such a long one, for me anyhow. Nothing major, no details I'm just soooooo glad it's Friday!!

And the sun is shining today - finally.

I feel like I've been starved of sunlight for ages - a bit melodramatic I know and it's probably only been a couple of days, but I am so glad it's lovely and bright today down in our little part of the world that is.


Though what do I do as soon as the sun pours in through the windows??

Well apart from gasping 'oh my word, how many finger marks and smudges?' and cursing all the spiderwebs that are soooo flipping obvious (I'm not a good housewife at all!) I go and grab my camera and start running around the house like a mad women (well more than normal that is!!) and start clicking any piece of sunlight I can find in case it disappears again and then that's my lot for another week or so!


Not many pictures today then 'eh!' - Welllllll the sun moves really fast around our house first thing in the morning. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

So if you were wondering was I sprawled out this morning dipping my face into the rays and soaking them up instead of getting the Windolene and dusters out then think again - because I was!!

'Oh well' not even tinted moisturiser can give you that sun tingling glow to your cheeks at this time of the year.


Have a wonderful, wonderful day and I hope the sun is shining with you where ever you are and most importantly - have a lovely weekend. xox

Suffolk Puffs

Don't you just love that word - Suffolk Puffs??

'or' Yo Yo's to you and me.

It was only last weekend when the very lovely Jenny at JennyFlower showed me how to make one of these lovely little delicate flowery thingies that I realised what a fabric yo yo was. Up until that point I didn't have a clue, let alone how to make one .

So when she mentioned about making some to string together to make Christmas trees I thought I had completely missed heard (or lost the plot!!) because yo yo's for me are those plastic toy things that you always get in a Christmas cracker with string wrapped around their middles that you spin up and down, up and down - well try to anyhow. Mine aways got tangled up within minutes and were promptly thrown in the bin!

But the penny did drop, eventually (ahem) and she put us to work making some of these little beauties and now - I'm addicted!!

Have you seen what beautiful things she makes with hers?? (check out her Folksy shop)

{I secretly think they look like little mini shower caps!!}

I only actually sat down for about an hour last night and lookie what I made.

Now I haven't gone completely bonkers - not yet anyhow in case you were wondering.

I know it was only yesterday I was harping on about making 'Crazy Patchwork Christmas Stars' from the gorgeous crafty book 'Home Sweet Sewn' but even I don't get bored that quickly when making something - fickle I may be and have an attention span of a three year old, but my staying power is a little bit stronger than that.


Anyhow, I was just kind of experimenting last night - as you do and completely overwhelmed myself (it doesn't take much, really) by making more than just a couple.

So I'm thinking, stocking fillers for the girls - hair slides maybe.

Unusual, unique and really rather pretty if I do say so myself - 'Oh' I do, I do.

Now I really should stop dallying around with yo yo's and get back to my 'crazy stars' as Christmas is just around the corner and I must 'oh yes' have some more - just another ten odd or so to make!!

ps. here is a 'How to Make a Yo Yo' from Heather Bailey if you too like me like the look of these little beauties!

Crazy Patchwork Star

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As the title hints I finally managed to make my first ever crazy patchwork star.

Well crazy patchwork thingy 'm' jig really as even though patchwork and quilting is my main sewing thing I have never 'ever' made anything using this technique before.



And as I promised when I wrote a review about the ever so lovely Ginny and Alice's new book Home Sweet Sewn a couple of weeks ago a crazy patchwork star was one of the things I wanted to try immediately...

...well I say immediately - a couple of weeks is pretty good going for me and is actually me saying 'I am going to do that immediately' really!!

I did post a little 'hint' picture yesterday - do you remember?? And wondered whether anyone would notice. But as subtle as I am nobody did comment on the random starry picture in my 'Ordinary Day'


Anyway, back to my 'crazy' patchwork. Now I know this star doesn't look anything like the one in the book, but there are some very good reasons for that - honest.


Firstly as mentioned I have never, ever done anything remotely crazy in a patchwork sense of the word so this was my first attempt - an experiment or mock up if you like.


Secondly I tend to go for the red, white and silver as Christmas colours soooooooo I took a chance on using my favourite colours for my experimental star just in case it turned out half decent and I could hang it on the tree.


And thirdly, Little Miss T had hid my copy of Home Sweet Sewn in amongst the huge Christmassy magazine pile I have going on in the front room at the moment so I had to make it from memory.


OK, analysis time :: welllllll even though my points aren't really pointy enough (I think I may sew sequins or little bells onto the ends next time) anddddddd......... I haven't really embellished it enough with embroidery and beads, I think anyhow - all in all I'm really rather chuffed with the way it turned out and it only took me a couple of hours - from start to finish plus...


...I am 'that' chuffed with it 'yes really I am' that it will be adorning our Christmas tree in a couple of weeks time - is that all it is?? And hopefully for many, many years to come.

Along with the other ten or so I'm planning to make!!

Wish me luck!

Ordinary Days

With this time of the year and the weather so gloomy, grim and grey - hey the three G's!! Sorry - we're finding that we're having more and more ordinary days doing ordinary things in a most average and ordinary way.

Not that back in the Summer we were sky diving every day or swimming with sharks - as if! But the basics are, that the more house bound we become due to rain, rain and even more rain the more homely things we are having to find to occupy ourselves and the wee ones.

So out with eating 'al fresco' and in with the indoor table picnic.

{The last jar of this summers homemade strawberry jam -boo, hoo!}

Out with the sand castles and in with the playdoh.

And out, out, out with the pavement art and in, in, in with colouring, drawing and general crafty stuff.



Just ordinary stuff in our ordinary day though I know at some point cabin fever will hit in and I will have to try and become more and more creative with the activities.

It happens every year - c'est la vie!!

But for now I'm enjoying (whilst I can get away with it) the ordinary things that fill our life.

For now...


...that is!

Simple Weekend Pleasures

A wonderful weekend was had here by all at Tabiboo HQ enjoying some of the simple pleasure that made for a most enjoyable and relaxing weekend.


With lots of curling up in front of the fire, talking, laughing and drinking far too much (for the adults only) fizz - well for little old me that is.

Two glasses and I felt done in for the next morning. I am such a woose!



I also managed to put the finishing touches to a Christmas present.

Sorry I still cannot reveal exactly 'what' I've been making, but all in good time - all in good time I promise.


Then for weekend baking it had to be double chocolate 'straight from the oven and melt in the mouth' chip cookies with a chocolate loaf for afters!!

Not great with fizz I know, but perfect for comforting a sweet tooth.

{the chocolate loaf is from Apples for Jam cook book}

And on Sunday a wonderful day was spent in the company of two lovely, lovely ladies - Pomona and Jenny (fellow Kent bloggers) making Christmas tree decorations for the Sandwich 'Handmade' Christmas tree festival on the 9th December.

Thank you ladies this one is for you - bottoms up!!

{ps. sorry about the fuzzy head on Sunday girls - mine not the fizz that is!!}

The simple pleasures - now that's what I'm talking about.

Happy Mondays to you all and a wonderful, wonderful week - what did you get up to at the weekend?