Easter is round the corner

Today I got round to putting up some Easter decorations.  I raided the contorted willow in our front garden, which was a bit of a struggle to do, as we had pruned it so severely a few months back there was very little to raid!

Some painted eggs, a whole load of mini-decorations that I got a few years back from Paperchase (they have similar ones this year, here), some wooden bunnies and lambs from Lidl and one of Miss Used-to-Bees' cast-off bunnies are all adorning the dining room table now.  

Shame my camera threw several hissy fits when I tried to get it to take snaps - it seemed to be exclaiming 'But where on earth do you want me to focus?'  So this is as good as it gets...

Earlier on, I had been out on one of those little rounds of errands, diving into various different shops and workplaces to tick all sorts of jobs off my 'To Do' list.  In amongst the errands, was a trip to the Post Office, to send off the last of the books I had piled up last week. (And a certain bunny - off to a new home for Easter!  Thanks Abby!)  

As I got out of the car, I found a sweet and rather forlorn little dog sniffing away at the side of the pavement, looking rather lost.  Having asked passers-by if she was theirs and received only a 'No',  I grabbed her and unscrewed her little identity tag.  Luckily, her address was on the adjacent road so I picked her up and found the number - in fact it was the corner house of the road we were parked on, actually right there where she was! 

I felt a bit of a numpty!

Maybe she wasn't lost after all, but she wasn't WITH anybody and she was close to the road, so I walked up to the front door and knocked.  Then the owner appeared from the garden, and told me that she is a regular escapee called Doris who can't see or hear very well and is frightened of his chickens, which were roaming happily in the garden!  

Anyway, I handed her over, a bit embarrassed and then went into the Post Office.  By the time I came out the nice gentleman was handing over a box of half-a-dozen still warm eggs as a thank you, to Mr U-t-B in the car.  How sweet!

Boiled eggs for tea!

Look at the lovely trug of Spring flowers my lovely sister gave me on Mothering Sunday!

Once they are finished indoors I will have to plant them out for next year - such pretty, frilly blooms!

Thanks for all the lovely comments on the bunnies and the Gladys Peto illustrations.  The bunnies are all gone now, but I did have fun making them!

What's-on-my-Bookshelf Wednesday

Just recently, I acquired this lovely book...

I love Gladys Peto's illustrations!

Quintessential Art Deco styling...

Gladys Peto was a children's book illustrator and writer, an advertising illustrator and a fashion designer as well as a sometime travel writer and costume and theatre set designer.  Influenced by Aubrey Beardsley, she was a household name between the two World Wars.  

Her art work was used to create pretty Tuscan Ware sets...

...and if you ever come across one of her books of hankies, do try to buy it (they're worth a small fortune!)

Strange that she is now so little known...

I love the black and white illustrations.

I'm not sure what  a Boojum dog is (I will have to read the story, perhaps!) but I'm sure I'd like one!

This tale was penned by Gladys's husband.

This one makes me think of a Dr Who story...

But even better than the black-and-white are, of course, the colour plates!

Magical places

Homely places

Far away places

Mysterious places

I'm sure Gladys's beautiful books transported many a child on delightful adventures.

What books did you like to read, or gaze at, as a child?

PS Talking of books, I put six in the post yesterday.  I'm really sorry if the mice didn't pull your name out of the hat this time, but will be in touch with Jill, Briony and Penny when I finish my next batch  to see if they fancy any of those instead!  

Oh and Gill (with a G) - the mice DID pull your name but my attempts to find your email have failed, so if you leave me a comment with either your email or address, I won't publish it, but will get in touch!

Bunny Madness - Another Rag Bag Rescue

At the charity shop where I do a bit of sorting each Wednesday afternoon, they have now got to know me well enough to humour me by saving holey jumpers and half-made skirts to take home, chop up and create something from.  

And this weekend I was in the mood for a bit of frivolity, as on Friday I had finished my stint at work (you know - the proper sort, where you get paid...) and whilst I had been working, I had found it hard to get stuck into anything just for fun.

So here are (some of) the results of my frivolity...

Some Sarah Moore bunnies!

I had seen these bunnies before, but then I spotted the pattern in this month's issue of 'Country Living' (which I am savouring slowly, due to my sort-of-resolution to only buy one magazine a month) and was reminded of how sweet they are.  

The pattern can be found on Sarah Moore's blog.

I already had a small pile of woolies awaiting the washing machine, and a setting too high for their tender nature.  Two of these had been Mr U-t-B's but the rest had been saved for me at the charity shop.  None of them were suitable for re-sale, being either a tad shrunken, bobbly or having small holes.  There were two 'Blue Harbour' lambswool ones from Marks and Spencer, a Lochmere pure cashmere, an 'H &M' cashmere, a Gap Italian merino wool and an embroidered cardi whose label had been removed, but which felt angora-y. 

I decided to test the 'shrinkability' of the garments by chopping a sleeve off each and putting them through  a 50 degree wash.  After the wash, the M&S lambswools were not felted, but holey and thinned out, and the blue one had practically disintegrated, leaving blue fluff over everything!  The rest however, were more successful.  The two cashmere jumpers had shrunk and felted slightly, but were still beautifully soft; the merino wool had shrunk a good deal, making a super 'fabric' for more baby shoes; and the cream 'angora' had also felted enough to make a useable fabric. 

So, I decided the pretty blue cashmere sleeves would make some sweet bunnies, as would the cream angora.

And here they are...

There was even enough to make another smaller bunny, and a tiny teddy...

I managed to make some other things from the scraps left over from the sleeves, and I still have the large backs and front awaiting a metamorphosis.  Back with those another day!

PS  I am busy packaging up books and getting in touch with people to find out where to send them

Fabric-alicious Friday - Perfect Pairs

I have really been enjoying some child-size dressmaking recently (more Ta-Dahs to come!)  but what often takes me more time than the actual sewing is the pondering over fabric and trying to come up with pleasing combinations.  

So I have been perusing some of my favourite online fabric stores to find pairs for some upcoming projects.

This pair...

Sketch - Aqua - Timeless Treasures from The Eternal Maker

Aqua Tiny Floral - Seaside - October Afternoon from The Eternal Maker

...and this one...

Kate Spain Honey Honey Lace in Violet from The Eclectic Maker

Kate Spain Honey Honey Wayside Garden in Violet from The Eclectic Maker

...would make lovely 'Oliver & S Pinwheel Slip Dresses'

Whilst the next two I rather fancy as their 'Puppet Show Tunic and Shorts'...

(This pattern is only available as a digital download - anyone out there tried digital patterns and able to tell me whether this is easy enough to do?)

Blossom Festival from M is for Make

Stitch Square in teal from M is for Make

Lecien 6mm dots in Lime from Celtic Fusion Fabrics

Natalie Lymer for Lecien Folk Tale Fawn from Celtic Fusion Fabrics

Last but not least, this lovely pair would make a sweet seaside holiday dress, maybe the 'Ice Cream Dress'?

Salt Water Bubble Shells in Aqua from The Village Haberdashery

Salt Water Floaties and Sinkies in Aqua from The Village Haberdashery

What do you think?

What's-on-my-Bookshelf Wednesday - and a sort-of Giveaway

Or, rather, what's NOT on my bookshelf, because the shelves are rather full.

A whole pile of books I have read (mostly) very recently. I decided I was going to read more books this year, and this has been going well, though I have hit a bit of a wall in the last couple of weeks with this one...

('Over-use of pronouns' is what I'd probably write on this if it had been handed to me for marking.  I guess I'm just not clever enough to keep track of what each 'he', 'him', 'his' is referring to!)

Easier reads for me have been the following:

This was a real page-turner for me, though I did manage to guess  what was going on quite quickly.  The ending was a bit disappointing!

I did enjoy this at the time, but I think I'd be better sticking to Jane Austen  when I want to immerse myself in a Regency atmosphere.

Sad and sweet.  Chosen for the front cover, it didn't disappoint me.

Loved this!  It made me laugh lots.  Completely preposterous, much of it, but all the better for it!

Read ages ago (probably this time last year)  Another sweet story - can't remember too much about it now, but I do remember being sad when I finished it.

Another one I loved!  

Tissues ready!  

Anyway, the thing is, my shelves are groaning so I thought maybe some blog readers might be interested in a free book.  I would happily pop a book in the post to any reader who would like one of the above title (not 'Wolf Hall'  - I must persevere with that!)  Just leave a comment below saying which one you'd like.  If more than one person requests a particular book, I will get the mice to perform the old 'names in the hat' routine!


Added later:  I didn't quite think this through before hitting publish and going out for the evening, so forgot to say I'll leave this open till Sunday evening (that's the 17th I think!) and I should have probably said UK based, but as I didn't, if any of the current first ten comments is abroad, I will, of course, include them!