2013: Year in Review : part two

Hello....... So here's part two of the Summerhouse review of the year, we're starting where we left off Summer time yippee

July:

July was about outside living with knitting and crocheting going alfresco, and a weekend away with friends at the Maverick festival. A couple of cards made and some more bunting for Yarndale. Out in the Summerhouse garden things were blooming..........

So much so I thought it best to make a second mosaic to celebrate all thing floral. Ahhh the colour.

 August :

 

August was trips to the Seaside, while on holiday in Suffolk and making lots of creatures, birdie's and a mini ladybug. I also got my paints out and started painting some Alice in Wonderland watercolours for the craft club exhibition

As for the Summerhouse garden, in was flowers galore.

  September :

By September it was time to start thinking about the Wintertime wreath, with just enough time to make some more bunting a pen pot cosy as well as a 'Cute and Easy pin cushion.  it also saw me starting to learn a new craft embroidery and I'm loving it.  Also a weekend away in the beautiful New Forrest.

  As for nature, well it was doing what it dose best out in the garden, with still so much in bloom.

October:

October saw us hunkering down with yarn and needles. I finished my first piece of embroidery a blossom tree, while outside the leaves were turning. Lots of yarniness too with flowers, a butterfly and hearts needed to go with the little Tilda birdie I made for my hanging bird garland.

  Out in the garden the autumn flowers were taking over with cyclamen and wind anemones coming out, but the Summer plants were hanging in there too, my the Roses have been so lovely this year.

November :

November brought storms and sunsets, and a focus on wreath making with Roses, Mistletoe and snow flakes and a poppy for Remembrance day, resting up and crafting in bed with my faithful crafting assistant.

  and still lots of colour to be found out in the garden if you know where to look........

December:

So we made it to December a time of  frosts, candles and snuggliy socks. With a flurry of wreath related activity it was ready in time to celebrate the Winter Solstice. I love the way this mosaic is so icy blue. I also completed and mounted my Alice in Wonderland Watercolours. Only two more makes to complete for the February exhibition deadline and of course my fab new  rainbow Pro Waves hooks, I be putting them to good use in 2014.

So lovely to see that we still have Roses in bloom out in the garden along with quite a few other summer flowers to.

Time for one last look and my completed Wintertime wreath, it was a real achievement to get this finished with my already poor health going into the relapse in August.  I've spent the last few months mostly stuck in bed feeling pretty rotten, so it good to look back and see that even with feeling so  poorly I have achieved something this year.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who popped by the Summerhouse this past year, I always love to read the comments that are left, they really do cheer me on, even if I don't get around to replying to them all.  It's been great to see you, shall we do it all again next year? I have plenty of WIP's and new makes planned

Wishing you and your and yours a Very Happy and Healthy 2014

I hope it's going to be a good one

Clare xx

2013: Year in review : part one

Hello... So there's not much left of 2013, over the past few days I've been looking back through the photo archives.  I think this time of year makes you more reflective looking back at what has passed. I know some say you should only look forward but it's been great fun looking back through the photo's from my first year of blogging and making some monthly mosaics. 

Here's the first six months of the year in photo form, I made a mini one for January before I started this blog as it seemed weird not to have a January. I hope you enjoy looking at the photos and I also wanted to say thank you for all the friendship and support you have offered me this year.

January:

January was mostly about snow and crocheted flowers, it was a new year resolution to try make a crocheted wreath, to celebrate the Spring.  I also started making my Purple leaf cushion which I'm ashamed to say is still not finished.

February:

 

February, saw the first signs of Spring in the garden, the start of my little blog and lots of different crafts from yarniness to card make. The Summerhouse was set up again as my crafting shed after being packed away at Christmas time.

March:

March was Spring flowers galore outside and in, with a rush to try and get the Springtime wreath finished to celebrate the equinox, I didn't quite make it but I did get it finished in time for Easter.

Here it is my first ever big crochet project completed learning as I went, I really enjoyed the whole wreath making process, with Roses, Primroses Daffodils, blooms and blossom.

April:

  

April saw birthday trips out and crocheted flower brooches made for a giveaway as well as a charity auction and my favourite time of the year Easter, I think I love it more than Christmas. Plus lots of fun was had making a cute felt Strawberry and a Whale, the first item towards the craft club exhibition.

May:

  Such a late Spring we had this year with late snow delaying the flowers, yes we had Tulips in May as well as the glorious wisteria in bloom.  May also saw several trips out in search of Bluebells that were very behind schedule. There was lots of yarniness with granny pennants made for yarndale and papercrafts, all thing birdie from cards,to felt birdies for bunting and a charity bird brooch made to raise funds for 'Ovacome'

June :

 

  June, wonderful June brought the Roses back to the Summerhouse garden, with lots of Birthday's needing lots of Handmade cards. A Mad Hatter make, for the craft club exhibition, and  a rice crispy robot from the moon. More brooches, bunting and granny squares and time spent out in the garden again, and at last after much waiting I finally found a sea of gorgeous bluebells in the woods.

Well that the first six months then, I've loved making and looking at the mosaics, with so much wonderful colour everywhere, I'll be back soon with the rest of the year in review, I hope you enjoyed looking at the pictures.

 Just before I go I've shared a  video review of the year that google made for me, all the images picked randomly by them, of happening here at the Summerhouse. Hopefully it will play OK

See you soon
Clare xx

Three Things :: 35/52

Hello ....... It's year of happy time again, I was so please to see the blue skies and sunshine today after the awful weather of late. Here in Kent as well as other parts of the UK there has been terrible flooding and power cuts over the Christmas holidays.  My heart goes out to thoughs who have been effected by all this.

Number one:

Number one this week is Christmas visitors yes last Saturday two tabbies arrived here to spend there holidays with us.  It's a bit tricky trying to get a photo of the two of them together as one of them is a bit timid, but here's the other one out and about in the garden today on his lead. yes we have cats on strings here.  The back lawn is so soggy from all the rain so here he is sitting in the plant pot that our Cherry tree grows in.  

They are so well behave and chilled out on there leads  I guess because they have been using them since they were kittens whenever they come to visit. At least they can get some fresh air and explore outside with them on without fear of them running off and getting lost a long way from home.

My Merli had to go on a lead to go outside after having a knee op a few years ago as he was not allowed to go far, jump and climb as part of his rehab, he was not to pleased about it, but these two cuties seem very content with it.

Number two:

Aww the above pictures make me so happy I just couldn't resist playing around with all the colours.  Yes number two this week is crafty Christmas gifts.  I was very lucky that 'P' aka Santa gave me this lovely set of ergonomic KnitPro Waves crochet hooks, bringing me much happy hookieness.

I also got some lovely ribbon and so super cute stickers yay for crafty Christmas gifts.

Number three:

Is handmade Christmas gifts, I received some very wonderful gifts, from a felt bookmark to a gorgeous birdie bag charm and a lovely birdie cushion from my lovely crafty friends, they are a talented bunch. It's so lovely to receive handmade gifts.

Well that all the happy for this week, we had a very busy family Christmas here, which was fun but has left me completed exhausted and feeling very poorly, so sad that with ME/Lyme's there always has to be such a payback for the fun time.

I've been compiling photos today for a end of year review post, so that will be coming soon !!!

 I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas time.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Three Things 34/52

Hello I hope you all had a great day yesterday, I'm all behind with the week of happy posts so here's last weeks 'Three Things'

Number one:

The first is yay for warm snuggly pompom socks on a cold winters day.

Number Two:

Is what's not to love about pink fluffy trees

This is the pink fluffy tree that stands in my bedroom at Christmas, seeing as I spend a lot of time resting in bed, it nice to have a little bit of Christmas to cheer me up.  Not the most conventional tree with it's Pink fluff and glittery butterflies, but it always makes me smile.

Number Three:

Is the fun I had putting my wreath together and finally finishing it in time for the Solstice last Saturday.You can read more about how I put it all together 'here' and 'here'

I also wanted to say a huge thank you for all the lovely comments left on my wreath post.

Well that's all for today I'm off now to join in with the Boxing day craziness that is our house.

Clare xx

Merry Christmas

Hello Lovelies... So the tree and twinkly lights are all up and the guests will be arriving shortly.

So I thought I would take this moment to wish you are yours a very Merry Christmas, may you all have a wonderful fun filled time.

Also I wanted to say a BIG thank you for all the wonderful comments and friendships I've made in blogland, it's hard to believe I've been writing this blog for a year come the end of January.

You really have offered me so much friendship and support in what has be a tricky year for me with my health.  I've loved popping over and visiting so many fabulous blogs and seeing all the wonderful things you talented lot have been making.

So enjoy the day tomorrow, what ever you're festive plans may be, have a good one.

I'll leave you with festive pic of Holly one of our Summerhouse guests over the holidays, so that's everyone here or on there way, just waiting for Santa now !!

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

December : Pick and mix

Hello it's pick and mix time again, so help yourself to a chocolate as here are this months little bits and bobs of Summerhouse living.

The view from the window:

This month the view is looking very wintry with frosty rooftop, yet the gorgeous Autumnal colours are still hanging in there, oh how those trees cheer my heart.

Things I made and things I love

December means it's time to unpack all things Christmassy, some things I've made over the past year like these crocheted snowflake decorations made for the tree and as gifts last year

and my little felt Strawbug not a fully a Christmas decoration, but I think there will be space for it on the tree, you can read about how I made it 'here'

and then some things that I just love and treasure, like this gorgeous angel candle that I just bare to light it's so serene

and this little angel, who holds a very dear place in my heart, she's only tiny and one of a pair, (she was originally a earring) but now she spends every Christmas time hanging on my dressing table mirror. She and her twin were bought to decorate my  Dad 's little Christmas tree when he was terminally ill in hospital.  It was a tiny little real tree and of course it needed a angel for the top and this little angle was the perfect size for the job. 

It's hard to believe, this is the forth year since we lost Dad, so December has it's sad times too here at the Summerhouse,  so we lit a candle on Tuesday, talked about our memories of you and ate Walnut Whips (his favourite) to remember you Dad.

Then of course there is the wire work fairy, who I love so much she hangs on the blossom tree in my room all year round, but is at her most magical at Christmas time.

Out in the garden:

Just look at the colour hard to believe all this is flowering still, it cheers the heart on a winters day, see I told you the other week, we still had roses in bloom, I'm not going to say anymore just let them speak for themselves.

There is winteriness too, I  gathered some of this in on the solstice last weekend.

Fairy Things:

Here at the Summerhouse there are fearie things afoot, yes all the supply are sitting together ready for my next make, just waiting for a little bit of time to begin things, can you guess what it's going to be?

Another recent make is this cute little felt birdie that I made last week for the wintertime wreath. I simply cute out a little bird shape and a tiny fabric wing and then added a cute button eye, (that was upcycled from a old pair of PJ's) Then all I had to do was add a little stuffing and blanket stitch my birdie together. 

 Now I'm think I need to make a whole heap of these birds in different colours to hang on my blossom tree. How cute would they look amongst the blossom. Maybe a project for the new year.

Tiny Tabbies:

Over the past week the Summerhouse craft supplies and breakables have been pack away as some very special Christmas guests are coming to stay.  Yep these two little cuties will be coming to stay over the holiday. They are however slightly larger now than in this picture which was taken for a calender I made for there owner, when they were kittens, but I'm so looking forward to seeing them again. Not long to wait now, for tabbies as well as Santa to visit.

Just before I go I thought I share with you this little joke gift I got for 'P's' stocking tee hee

yay for chocolate Brussel sprouts.

Not long to wait now.

Clare xx