BOO!!

The quickest post ever, as we are walking out the door to go trick or treating..... I needed to show you all the awesome skirt I made for Little Madame! Of course it is easy AND no sewing is involved ! That just makes it doubly easy!!!

Little Madame often sits with me while I trawl Pintrest... She saw a Wind up Doll costume and decided that is what she wanted to be this Halloween - but not just a Wind up Doll, no not our Little Madame - she wanted to be a Zombie Wind up Doll! I shake my head in despair! How does she think these things up?

Now this post is about a very easy skirt, I have seen them all over  Pintrest. As soon as I say the words frothy and tulle you will know exactly what I am talking about - well, that is if you trawl Pintrest!

What you will need:

4 meters of pink tulle

2 meters of black (obviously you can use any colour you want too)

Thick Ribbon - for the waist ( enough to go around your waist and tie in a bow)

Scissors 

Pink and Black Tulle

THATS IT! Lets get started-

1. Start by cutting strips of tulle.( about 5cm wide) I also folded the fabric over so I didn't have to cut too many strips

Fold it!

2. Fold the strip in half and place it under the ribbon

  

Under the Ribbon

3. Grab the two loose ends and pull through the loop - you have made a knot over the ribbon, make sense? 

Grab

   

Pull Through

   

Pull Tight

  4. Keep going till you have used up all the tulle - you can make it as thick as you want by adding more or less tulle. Push the knots together to get the frothy effect - the more tulle the frothier!

5. I used all my pink then added the black where I wanted them to be - just push the knotted bit to the side to create a gap and add in the other colour. 

Do I have to even say it  - TA DAH !!!!! You are done! So easy and so very quick!!  

We added a pink wig with a black flower, a pair of cute stockings with pink bones and bows  on the back, a white T  and I made a winder out of card and a plastic tub! A bit of make up and my Little Wind up Doll was good to go ........She looked super cute!!!

 

Clever Me!

My Little Doll

....... to  a pre Halloween Trick or Treat at the fishing village's Aquarium Ushaka! They have a Halloween function ever year and we have been going for about 4 years now! There were giants, dancing zombies, scary stilt men and lots of frightening decorations - it was scary and fun to say the least!  Of course the highlight of this for little Madame is always the 'scary dolphin show'
  

Halloween Fun!

Today is actually Halloween, down South in deepest darkest, we are only just getting into Halloween, and tonight we are going trick or treating with friends around the streets! Little Madame is really excited, she has done this before but cannot remember it. I hope it is fun and scarrrryyyy for her! But not to scary, try explain things that go bump in the night to a 7 year old - All that remains for me to say is Happy Halloween Peeps and a great big Boooooo to yoooouu!! xxx 

PS:: Need to just add that it poured  - actually poured is a very poor description .....It bucketed down for while we were trick or treating at Ushaka  however it let up  just in time for the Dolphins show - we were soaked but it was fun..... Let hope for no rain tonight!!!

A Little Less Sugar Please

As you all know I wage and on going battle with my voluptuous rear end...... It is a war which sadly I am not the VICTOR! I just love eating too much! I run three times a week so that I can 'apply to mouth' when ever I want to, which is often. I really try to eat well and tell myself that I really can do without the delicious looking chocolate chip muffin........However I always lose the battle! Now please,  please don't get me wrong I do not want to be a stick insect.... NEVER!! I feel so very sorry for  ramp models when I see them on Fashiontv -  those poor girls need a burger or a good hearty meal,  I honest believe that is why they all look so sad and cross!

 

Why am I carrying on so much.... Wellllll, I recently returned from London armed with a very interesting book. I first saw this book on my friend Ashley Brooker's  Blog - Quintessentially Me. Ash is a clean eating girl and I admire her so much for leading this life style, everything she puts in her mouth is 'clean' organic and healthy.....She blogs about food, travel and her life in London! Here is the Link. So the book was reviewed on her blog and she raved about it, now being that I am in no way a clean eating girl, I never though this book would appeal to me..... Until I saw it on our recent trip to the UK.
 

 

It is called I QUIT SUGAR It is A great read! It is really well written  and she is in no way pushy or forceful about her life style. Its about her journey when she gave up sugar. Some very interesting facts are thrown in, facts that will really make you sit back and  think  about exactly what  you are 'applying to mouth'
 

I have read and reread some of the chapters and although I am not sure that I can entirely give up sugar, I have decided to try and eat cleaner and think about what was actually going into my mouth..... Soooooo I have bought the necessary ingredients and quietly begun to try and convert not only myself but my family! Poor LSO!!! The first test was when I made Pancakes a few days ago.... I exchanged the sugar (5 tablespoons), for a pinch of Stevia powder. I never told anyone I was going to do it and waited with bated breath to see if the family (in particular my fussy eating little Madame) would notice. They ate every single one with no bad comment!  Whew! A little success!

 

Healthy Stuff

A  few of the recipes really caught my eye, in particular Fluffy Pumpkin and Chia Muffins and Coco Nutty Granola. So over the next few day I got down to baking and making.

The Batter

So the muffins were really easy to make, came together really quickly and the batter looked lovely. Golden, thick and cakey in consistency! The main ingredients, were,  the pumpkin of course,which you grate and chickpea flour. after I had finished the batter I dipped my finger in, now I am a girl who loves batter usually.... this batter however was not great! In my humble opinion, if a batter doesn't taste good the end product might not be great......   

They Looked Great.....

However, once in the oven baking, the smell was really good. They certainly looked great when they came out. Golden with emerald green sunflower seeds on top. True to the batter when broken open they were cake like in texture! These muffins looked really yummy..... Alas they were not yummy. They weren't bad but they did not deliver on taste. These were indeed bitter. I cannot figure out whether it was the Chickpea flour or the Stevia powder? I checked the recipe and I had not done anything wrong.  The odd thing was, that a few minutes after I had finished eating them, I realised they had left a really good after taste.... Go figure? I will try them again with less Stevia.

Coconut and Nuts!

 

 

The granola was a great success. I might be a bit bias here because it contains COCONUT, which I LOVE! And loads and LOADS of nuts! Oats, chai seeds, coconut oil and rice syrup are the rest of the delightful ingredients.  Once again the recipe was easy peasy lemon squeezy! It tasted great before it went into the oven, as a matter of fact it tasted REALLY GOOD, I had eaten half the mixture before it even went into the oven. It tasted like a crunchie batter(think you UK peeps call our crunchies - flapjacks?) The granola was golden brown and crispy when it came out, I could not wait for it to be breakfast the next morning! This was a winner!   

 

Waiting To Be Baked

Breakfast!

 

I have already bought her next recipe book and tried out a few other bits and bobs - some great and some an acquired taste...... So am converted?...... I am so not sure! I cannot imagine life with out a great big piece of Chocolate Cake or a slab of Chocolate while I am reading a good trashy romance novel(Yes I love a good trashy romance novel) I will however try and be a little more selective in my sugar intake, I am a great believer in moderation, everything in moderation is ok, isn't it?  .......xxx

PS:: I have discover a great little Chocolate thingy in the next book -will share soon.....

 

Renovation Nation ...... Part 2

It has rained the last few days! I normally love the rain however rain is NOT my friend right now! I have never been one to check the weather..... I mean really we cant do anything about it so why check it..... Until now! Every morning I leap (well... that a bit of an exaggeration really) out of bed, throw open the curtains (Ok... another exaggeration) to check whether it is chucking down or not!  So we are delayed by a few days?.... Not really, because lots of work has gone on inside, and huge improvement are being seen..... Yes dear peeps I was feeling loads better!

 

Last Monday  morning produced beautiful blue skies and much to my joy, when I arrived at the house to have a look see..... the roof was coming off! Yessssss!!!

However my joy was not to last that afternoon the heavens opened up again. And as week 2 and week 3 are gently merged into one long week, a lot  of  praying has happened every morning before I  even opened my eyes - Please,  PLEASE dear Lord, NO rain today!! But alas it has rained on and off for the last 2 weeks. However, I am pleased to say that walls have been built inside and plumbing has started so although we are now 1 week (not a few days anymore) behind..... Things are still happening!

These pictures were all taken on that one glorious NO-RAIN day.... Take a look
 

The old roof being removed.....



 

Piles of tiles lying on the lawn....





Gutter pipes and old roofing are lying everywhere......



No ceilings in the house....

Piles of bricks litter the garden and floors....



 

The new roof being planned, my poor garden..... 

 

 

 

There are no roof or trusses at all in the picture above,  this was a HuGe MoMeNt for me!  I realised my old home was well and truly gone... However can you see the piece of wood in the middle, that was a large piece that was thrown down in front of me. It literally disintegrated before my eyes.....OM Dazzelberry.... can you see how eaten away it is? A tiny little insect called Bora is totally responsible for this - but don't worry it is endemic to our fishing village! I could not believe the state of the wood and cannot think how the roof was still up! Yikes!  

 

And so much to my disbelief  I have become a weather watcher! The weather app on my iPhone works over time, I check it every hour on the hour and I am happy to announce that as of tomorrow, we have clear weather..... Hopefully mother nature will play nice.... And Natalie and her crew will work faster than the speed of sound.....xxx

 

My Quiet Reading Corner Is Now a Cupboard.

PS:: I am 2 days late in uploading this post, so I thought I would just mention that the sun is still shining gloriously!  

 

Hip to Be Square.....

I have come to realise something, and I am sure that to most of you have read my post for some time now, it will be no big revelation! I LOVE crocheting blankets...... Big blankets ,small blanket, baby blankets and dolls blanket.... in fact I spend most of my hooky time on blankets. So, the in between blanket time is spent thinking about what my next blanket should be, look like and who it should be for, what colour it should be, a extra ordinary amount of time is spent on blanket thinking! ! I also have come to realise that all the other little things I hook in between  the blankets are mere filler bits and bobs.

I am telling you this because I am wanting embark on a new blanket..... Yes, its that time of the year ....It is blanket time. I have the yarn...... Very different and unusual colours for me to have chosen however they jumped off the shelf at me.... and the more I look at them the more I loved them.
 

However  - Houston we have a problem! What sort of blanket should I make? It is a dilemma, should it be a  traditional Granny blanket again, or should I try something different? So out have come all the books, and I have set about trying to find a square that I like, that is not too time consuming!



Books and Patterns

To Time Consuming!

Would This Keep You Warm?

  

Mmmm.....

I have also down loaded a really lovely App on my iPad. It is simply called Granny Square, and has a new granny square every week! Honestly I never knew there were so many granny squares! The mind boggles!! I picked out three and tried them.  However as you can see from the picture below, they just did not seem to work! I left them  on my dining room table for a few days, every time I passed by I looked at them wondering how come none of them were appealing to me!Why wasn't I loving them..... I agonised over them, pondering what the problem was, and then it came to me, BAM just like that...... The Colours, THE COLOURS ........ They were all wrong! Although I had loved them in the yarn shop, they just were not working!
 

Blankets are meant to be cosy, warm  and comforting, these colour were bright and jarring almost Rastafarian (my lovely friend Kate had said as much when she first  saw these colours - clever girl!) This had never happened to me before..... EEEK am I losing my touch.....

So, a visit to the yarn shop was in order, to find new colours(any excuse) YaY! - Don't tell LSO!! These are the colours ( above) I settled on! Mmmmmm Much, much better! I must confess that the squares were not what I was looking for either so it was back to trawling the world wide web! And there while pootling away on Pintrest.... I found exactly what I was after..... A sunburst granny square - you know me, very  partial to granny squares!

 A Sunburst Granny

So there you have them, do you like them? The colours are gorgeous, they are soft colours, gentle and pastely. They make me feel warm and happy! I am as eager a beaver to get started.... And yes, I know the production line is becoming looongggg again but what can I say except - I love hooking and I love hooky blankets even more..... xxx 

 

PS:: Of course you will receive regular up dates

Renovation Nation.......Part 1

 

As you all know we are in the first stages of a renovation... Remember the 5 year plan? This post here.  We have an AWESOME team working with us on creating our dream home. Dave and Natalie, just get us! I don't say that lightly because to 'get 'me can  at times be very trying...... Ask LSO! As if the packing up was not hard enough, I am finding that the next part is even more difficult.

 

Two weeks ago when the team from Al Gusto moved onto site, I was excited,  however I am less excited right now, I am MORTIFIED to say the least !  Not in a bad way! In a totally  heart breaking way! I never realised just how in love with my house I was. No wait, that not correct!  Its not just my house its my HOME! And it is being ripped apart bit by bit! Walls are being knocked down left right and centre! Bathrooms ripped out and tiles are flying! Let me show you exactly what I mean.....

 

 But brace yourselves peeps, its not pretty! 

 

Our tranquil patio is gone, it vanished the first day....

 

Along with our bathroom...........

 



The beams in the roof were totally rotten, paper thin, not sure how the roof was being held up ......

Yikes.......

This was were the loo was......

The wall and door to the dining room is gone......

Its a hot and scary mess...............

 

 

So can you see why I am so heartbroken! I know, I KNOW............. I need to visualise the final product. The BIIIIG picture, the new and improved home.... Now to be perfectly fair Natalie did warn me that it was quiet traumatic to see your house being broken to bits and pieces! But it was ReAlLy HaRd a few days ago, and to be honest, I had a complete melt down and cried like a baby. So here is the plan- hang in, bite the bullet , grit my teeth, pull on my big girl panties and keep hoping the rain stays away..... xxx 

 

PS::.....  I did feel a bit better when I saw the new roof trusses arrive

 

 

Yay!  The new roof has arrived...........

 

PSS:: If there are any spelling mistakes please forgive me, my spell check is not working....

These Bootee's Were Made For Walking!

 

I have been sent so many pictures about the sweet little shoes that have been popping up all over the world wide web......  With comments like - 'thought you would love these', or 'you should make some of these Ash!' Well what's a hooky girl to do ........ I made a pair, for a  sweet little girl that has blessed our family! And although I have not met her yet...... I adore her already!

 

 

If you love pintrest and spent lots of time browsing and lapping up all the very clever ideas,  you will have noticed so many of theses sweet little shoes. If you can read a crochet chart you are A for away! However .... I struggle, I need a blow by blow account  of the exact stitches.

 

As you know I have been attempting patterns on my own, I have a few brewing and to be honest with you I really wanted to try and make a pattern for these on my own, but I came across a very simple and easy pattern and because I was so excited about these "shoes" I printed the pattern and got stuck in!

 

 

 

The pattern was  super easy to follow, and quiet quick. , they were pretty straight forward and no trouble to make - this is the pattern..... the Blog is called This Lovely Life - and it is a LOVELY blog! So a few pictures to tell the story....

  

In the blog the  shoes front strap is made by crocheting the strap then  wrapping yarn around it to look like a tiny little bow. I thought a flower would look better so I crocheted  2 little roses! Sweet and so pretty, wish I had been able to crochet when Little Madame was a baby!! The mind boggles with all the sweet little  shoes I would have made for her!

 

So they were done and waiting to be posted, however I posted them to  Facebook, just to show all my friends that I had actually made what they had sent me...... EEK! I had so many requests to buy pairs of baby shoes! Now let me tell you a funny little thing about me....I love making things for people, I get told so often  - "you should make them and sell them" I can't, I just can't!  How can you make something for a friend and then ask them to pay to pay for it! The most I will do is ask for the cost of the yarn, or better yet go and buy the yarn/fabric and I will make it for you!  When I make something it is made with care and lots and lots and LOTS of LOVE! 

 

The pair above did go to my friend Olivia for a baby that has been born into her family.....  

 

And so another pair was made for our little Loo in England. They were sent over and I have had a picture or two of her looking very stylish in her shoes! To say that they looked cute on would be an understatement!

 

 

So two pairs of baby shoes have been made! However I know of another friend who has just heard that a little girl is on its way, a baby Dip so to speak! So I think I had better get going..... I was thinking..... Do you think Christian Louboutin  would mind if a made the soles red and called them Babyboutins? .......xxx

 

PS:: The flowers on the white and pink pair are my pattern - YES!  Another pattern, will post it soon!